Slouching towards bethlehem
by jediknigh5
Summary: AU. Same basic concept, but with completely different character and timeline. I'm warning you now it's going to be very long, and get progressively darker over time.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

.

. Febuary 4th 2033.

.

It seemed like any other day, at first. For Eve it meant Friday. A couple of tests, than the beginning of the weekend. It had been more than a month since christmas, three months until her 15th birthday. Today her mother woke her up for breakfast of bacon and eggs. Eve suspected her mother had a motive for the big breakfast. She was considering becoming a vegetarian when she turned 18, her mother wanted her to know what she'd be giving up. Before Eve left for school she made sure her dog, Cujo, had enough food and water for the day. Then Eve walked the three blocks from her house to her higschool. She was glad her parents considered her mature enough to walk there herself. They still worried, Eve was their only child, but they accepted that she was growing up. Before going into school Eve et up with Adam, her best friend. Adam was the boy next door. Well across the street and three houses to the left. Everyone made jokes about Adam and Eve getting together one day, but he felt more like a brother to Eve. This friday Eve ha two tests, history and science. History was fun, Eve liked studying the civil war. Her science test involved cells and animals. Eve would've preferred learning about the planets, but thought she might've eeked out a B. Then lunch, Eve ate with Adam and Karen, her best female friend who was two years older than Adam and Eve. Eve ate a fish sandwich, potato sticks, chocolate pudding, and a diet soda. This afternoon the school showed them a movie. The idea was to reward them and let the kids relax after studying for their tests. There was no homework this weekend, except for one thing. President George Mason was delivering his annual state of the union address tonight. The students were to watch it, either live or on youtube this weekend, and be prepared to discuss it on monday. After school Eve went with Adam to their pizz place, "Pizza time" for fries and soda. Eve got her allowance on friday and was spending the last of the previous week's allowance here. Eve was hoping to see Jack, the star pitcher for their highschool baseball team. Adam didn't like her trying to flirt with this guy, he didn't think this guy was good enough for her. Eve joked that Adam was as protective of her as Cujo was. Then Eve went home. Her parents ordered pizza and decided they should also watch the president with her. At 9pm eastern standard time president George Mason began his speech. Usually the president gave the address directly to congress. But tonight it took the form of a press conference, Mason would answer questions from reporters immediately afterwords. Eve would later look back at these final moments with nostalgia. The president was about to reveal the biggest story in the history of the planet.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

.

Eve and her parents watched president Mason begin his speech. Like the rest of the world they had no idea about the shock they were about to recieve.

.

" My fellow Americans, I have chosen this moment to reveal the truth to you because this will be watchen by many, and because I urge calm. Ten minutes ago, U.S. ambassadors to every nation on Earth, told the leaders of those countries what I am about to tell you. On December 7th, 2032, NASA satellites detected an asteroid, and it is on a possible collission course with Earth. We are developing methods to divert or destroy this asteroid. Life will go on, but it may not go on for everyone. If we are not successful, the asteroid's impact will create a cloud of dust that the sun will be unable to penetrate for at least 100 years. The asteroid is scheduled to hit the earth on July 20th 2036, well over three years from now. While we believe the asteroid can be stopped, we must also take precautions. In a few weeks the United States will begin building helter, some within mountains, some underground, capable of growing plants, food, even artificial oxygen to keep our species alive. It is estimated that, combined, these shelters, or Arks, will be able to sustain six million of our people. Regretably, that is less than two percent of America's population. Other nations will also build similar shelters, and determine who gains access based on whatever lines they feel are best. This is ours. Ten percent of those in the Arks will be chosen for special skills. Doctors, farmers, engineers, and so forth. They will ofcourse sustain their Arks, and teach others these valuable skills. The other 90 percent will be chosen in a random lottery. The lottery will be done in six stages. On the first of every month beginning on January 1st 2036. Those chosen will be taken over the next week after being selected. Those who help build these shelters will have their names added to the lottery additional times, but every American citizen will have their name in the lottery at least once. We have hard times ahead, ut if we stand together, we can overcome this. For the first time in the history of the planet a species has the technology, the resources, and the strength to prevent it's own extinction. Each step in the ladder of technology, every adventurous reach into the unknown, even the wars we have fought, has led us to this moment. Make no mistake, we are all in this together now.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

.

When Eve woke up on saturday morning Cujo was sleeping beside her bed. Then she remembered. Was it a dream, or had the president really announced last night that the world might be ending in three and a half years? At first Eve just listened, no sound outside. In the movies people usually panic and riot after recieving news like that. She lived in a quiet suburb in New Jersey, no rioting outside. There were also no children playing outside, but they were probably inside watching cartoons. Eve went downstairs. Her mother was usually making breakfast by this point, but her parents were nowhere around. Now she was getting worried. Eve found a note from her mother.

.

"Dear Eve, I've gone to the supermrket to get food. Dad's been called to work. Do not go outside until one of us comes back Don't even let Cujo out to do his business. Love, Mom."

.

Eve dreaded turning on the tv, but had to know for certain. It had not been a nightmare, at least not the kind she could wake up from. The asteroid was being nicknamed ELE, which stood for "Extinction Level Event." It was scheduled to hit the Earth on July 20th 2036. The news stations even listed as 1261 days until impact. The good news was there was no rioting just yet. The last 12 hours had seen a much higher than normal rate of car accidents and heart attacks. There were also fights breaking out in supermarkets. This made Eve worried about her mother. Eve tried calling Adam, but the phone lines were down from over-use. She stood by the window, hoping he would see her. After a few minutes Adam came to the window. He seemed to be under the same orders not to leave his house, but they waved to each other. Finally Eve's mother came home with groceries and they hugged. They were both still here. So far, they'd made it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

.

Eve and her parent didn't go to church every week. They went on christmas, easter, and sporadic occassions. On Febuary 5th there was a special mass quickly scheduled, everyone was welcome. Saturday evening mass was sometimes called "fisher's mass" for those who wanted to get church out of the way and spend sunday morning fishing, or golfing, or just sleeping in. During their walk here Eve's father Zack explained why he'd been called into work today of all days. Zack was an executive at Ravenwood, a defense contractor that supplied weapons to the military. Back during the war on terror Ravenwood also built bomb shelters for paying customers. That program fell into dis-use after alqueda was defeated. But now, they were going back into the shelter business. Zack seemed pretty optimistic about this. Even if they couldn't get into a government shelter, they would likely get into a Ravenwood one. If ELE was destroyed the family might actually emerge from this crises better than before. This church was usually only half-full on Saturday mass, tonight it was very crowded. People were waiting outside as the priests and nuns tried to figure out how to fit everyone inside. They never wanted to turn anyone away, especially on a cold Febuary evening, especially this one. As Eve and her parents waited outside there were people selling rocks out here. These salesman claimed that these rocks were from another asteroid. Anyone who possessed these rocks couldn't be killed by ELE. This seemed impossible to believe, and yet people were buying these rocks. Eve knew that logically these guys were lying, president Mason's message of everyone working together seemed to have been lost on these people. But a small part of her wondered if one of these little rocks might actually save her in three years. So Eve bought one of these rocks for five bucks. Before they went inside they saw a man in plain clothes tell these hucksters to get lost. They obeyed. Eve wondered why they would back down to one nosy guy. Eve's mom Kendall said that at the supermarket a couple of guys almost got into a fist-fight, until two other guys pulled them apart. It took Eve a little while to realize the connection. The guys at the supermarket, the one who told the charlatains to leave, they were soldiers. President Mason, was having these soldiers keep order and prevent chaos. He probably had them in plain clothes because a military presence would create more chaos. Eve put the little rock in her pocket and went into the church. Father Mcnamara egan his sermon.

.

"My friends, welcome. I'm sure many of you have questions. The question that comes to mind is "Is this the end of the world?" The Bible says that noone will know when the end comes, not even the angels in Heaven. Only God himself. Is this the end, I pray it is not. But I do not know the will of God. And I can promise that the charlatains in the street do not know either. Buying little trinkets will not protect you, it will only line their pockets. They say that the world changed yesterday. A crises has emerged, but crises' always emerge. The question that always comes before us is "What are we going to do about it?" Are we going to help our fellow man during these hard times, or will we only look out for ourselves? I pray that the asteroid is diverted just as you do. Four years from now, we will look back at how we acted during the hard times. Will we proudly say we looked after our friends and neighbors, or admit with shame that we cared nothing for others? Will we abandon our own selfish desires and be given the glory of Heaven? Or will we reject God in pursuit only of the futile goal of surviving this world. I cannot make this choice for you. Each of you must make the choice for yourself. To serve God, or yourself.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

.

On Sunday morning Eve and her parents ate breakfast with the news on in the background. Schools and businesses were expected to re-open the next day. This might've been why Mason made his announcement on friday evening. After initial panic people would calm down enough by monday for normalcy to resume. Eve's school had called and said school would still be open on monday. The news networks mentioned a few people dying, in part, because of president Mason's announcement. A man, one month away from his 101st birthday, sufferred a heart attack and died. This man had helped collect paper for world war II as a child, served in the army for the Korean and Vietnam wars, and taught at West Point during the war on terror. He'd helped defeat nazism, communism, and alqueda, but could not survive America's latest threat. A young teen couple heard Mason's announcement on his car radio, and gotten into an accident that killed them both. While these and similar incidents were tragic, they were small, isolated incidents. The question became, was this as bad a things woud get, with normalcy returning soon? Or would things get much worse within the next few years. Only time would tell.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

.

Eve wasn't sure what to expect when she went back to school on monday. Her parents offerred to let her stay home, but for once she wanted the distraction of school. All the tv stations, even the ones meant for children, still pre-empted normal programinf for news about ELE. That much talk about the asteroid would've driven Eve crazy. Plus, she wanted to see Adam again, her best friend might be able to help. Everyone, students, teachers, seemed to be in a state of semi-shock. The last time Eve was at school, only three days ago, the world had seemed much different. Eve wanted that normal feeling again. Before first class the teacher informed the class they would be permitted to pray, if they so chose. This seemed unusual for a public school. But recently prayer seemed like a good idea. The teachers went through the motions of teaching their normal subjects, but they all seemed to be thinking of something else. Eve's mind kept coming back to ELE. At lunch Adam and Eve ate together, glad to have at least some familiarity right now. Karen was eating with different people. Karen was always a flirt, that seemed to be how she was coping with this news. What was more of a suprise was when Jack decided to join Adam and Eve. Adam didn't say anything, but didn't seem thrilled by this. Eve was happy, although it apparently took an asteroid for Jack to want to sit with her. Jack also offerred his particular opinion about ELE.

.

Jack: Way I see it, the asteroid's one big hoax.

Adam: How do you figure that?

Jack: If there was really an asteroid coming, capable of wiping us all out, the president would never tell us about it. He'd have reporters killed before he let us find out. And if the truth got out anyway, Mason would declare martial law. There would be armed soldiers on every street corner by now.

Eve: My mom says a couple of soldiers broke up a fight at the grocery store. At least she thinks they were soldiers, they were dressed as civilians.

Adam: esides, what would be the point of scaring everyone like this?

Jack: A power grab by Mason. People will let their leaders do almost anything when the survival of the species is at stake. They will forget that Mason can't be re-elected to a third term, or that he's only suppossed to be here for four more years. Won't just be America falling into line like this, others will follow. I'm having a party friday night, so everyone can let off some steam. You're both welcome.

Adam: I don't know. My parent don't like me going out much these days.

Eve: I'd love to go.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

.

Eve considered what Jack had said. Her parent said they would have to consider whether to let he go to the party. On Monday Febuary 7th it was 1259 days until impact. By friday it would be 1256 days. Zack seemed more worried about Kendall. Kendall was an alcoholic, been sober for over ten years. Zack feared this would push her to drink. Eve hoped her mother could stay sober for her family. She hoped the whole thing was a hoax. Eve didn't follow politics much but knew some things about president George Mason. The 47th president, in the beginning of his second term. George Mason served in the war in Afganistan, got captured and tortured by the Taliban for six days before he escaped. He was elected to congress in 2010 where he quickly became an advocate for American withdrawel from that country. The democratic party knew they would lose seats in 2010, they hoped putting a war hero on the ballot would minimize their losses. When Mason was nominated for president in 2028 he chose his primary opponnent Kimberly Allen as his vice-president. Thus Kimberly Allen became the first female vice-president of this country. Eve would've liked to have voted for president Allen in 2036. As Eve watched the news she saw there were some positive aspects to this crises. A number of sheriffs in the United States publicly announced they would no longer enforce laws evicted people from their homes. They apparently decided not to hurt people, or incur God's wrath, when they were within spitting distance of st Peter. Israel and Pakistan were reaching an agreement towards building Arks together. Israel had the technology to build shelters, Pakistan had the mountains to build shelters in. Although these countries had fought a war less than ten years ago ELE threatened both countries. In the African nation of Sangala the Bawa and Askari ethnic groups, normally enemies, were working together. In Columbia far-right and far-left groups were coming together to build shelters. Eve hoped Jack was right about ELE being a hoax. She wasn't as cynical about president Mason. Maybe it was his master plan for world peace.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

.

By Friday Febuary 11th things had calmed down. Businesses and schools were running normal, some television stations were running their usual programing again. Kendall and Zack agreed to let Eve attend Jack's party. They were still nervous, but even now they couldn't keep her couped up forever. A lot of kids were here. They all needed to let off some steam, enjoy themselves a little. Some juniors and seniorswere droppig out to work on an Ark site in Pennsylvania, this was their last highschool party. The system had everyone entered in the lottery at least once. Those who helped build a shelter got their names added two more times for every month they worked, four times if they were minors. The chances could not be bought, sold, or traded. At the party Eve saw people cutting loose more than normal. People who wouldn't normally be dancing were. Some who had never seemed to e gay were now dancing with teens of the same-sex. The old fears no longer seemed to matter. Eve didn't want to dance with a girl, but she did get a chance to dance with Jack. He didn't kiss her. A part of Eve now feared she would die without ever kissing a boy. She wasn't his only dance partner this night. Jack was always a bit of a ladies man, but now he saw no reason for any moral restraint. It seemed to make sense to Eve. Why not live for the moment? Like other girls tonight she pigged out on chips, pizza, and ice cream. Someone offerred Eve a ciggarette, she accepted. It was her first, and she coughed a lot. Although there was some beer Eve didn't drink because of her family's history of alcoholism. Eve saw Jack emerge from his room with a girl. He had been in there with a few girls tonight. Then Jack approached Eve.

.

Jack: So Eve, want to join me upstairs?

Eve: We barely know each other. Besides, I'm only fourteen, you're eighteen.

Jack: Come on, live for today We could all be dead soon.

Eve: I thought you said it was a hoax.

Jack: It is, probably. But why shouldn't we enjoy ourselves while we can.

Eve: I can't, I'm not ready.

Jack: I should've known. You're hot, but you're still a stupid kid.

.

As Eve walked away Jack grabbed her arm. Eve suddenly became scared. But Adam saw this and told Jack to let her go. Jack did this but then made a crude sexual comment about Eve. Adam responded by punching Jack in the face. As Jack got up from the floor Adam remembered that Jack was a strong senior, Adam was a not so strong freshman. Adam and Eve very quickly left this party.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

.

Eve and Adam fled the party and kept running until they had to stop and catch their breath.

.

Eve: Sorry about that.

Adam: That jerk had it coming.

Eve: You're not worried about Jack?

Adam: Of all the things I'm worried about right now, that idiot is at the bottom of the list. Besides, to protect you, it was worth it.

.

Eve looked at Adam. He had been protective of her for as long as she could remember. She remembered when she was a child, having sleepovers with Adam. Staying up late on summer nights. Eve was scared of going to sleep for awhile, worried about bad dreams. But with Adam sleeping on one side, Cujo on the other side, Eve always felt safe. Adam and Eve seemed too old to sleep in the same bed, but maybe not. Adam never seemed to have outgrown protecting Eve. She was suddenly very glad she hadn't kissed Jack tonight, she still wanted her first kiss to e special. Eve leaned over and kissed Adam.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

.

Adam walked Eve home after their kiss. He admitted that he'd had a crush on her for awhile, but had been too afraid to tell her. Now it seemed they were a couple. The future actually looked somewhat bright to Eve. She'd had her first kiss, had a great boyfriend. Everyone was coming together. Americans, Israel and Pakistan,the Bawa and Askari, pretty much all countries were working together. They'd figure out a way to divert or destroy ELE. In the meantime it was a good excuse to cut loose a bit. When Eve went into her house she saw a frightening sight. Her mother was on the floor, unconsciouss Eve rushed to Kendall, afraid her mother was dead. But when Eve shouted to her mother she woke up. A bit woozy, but very much alive. Eve was relieved, until she smelled the alcohol on Kendall's breath and saw an empty beer bottle on the floor. There was no denying it, Eve's mother had fallen off the wagon.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

.

On Saturday Febuary 12th Zack tried to explain to Eve about her mother' sickness. He said she had relapssed because of her fear of ELE. Eve was only four when Kendall had gotten sober the last time. She didn't rememer much, except for that christmas when she got a new puppy, whom she named Cujo. Eve now realized that her mom had gotten her a dog to make up for her recent behavior. Zack said they would just have to be there for Kendall if she made a mistake. Eve understood, chances were everyone would make a few mistakes with ELE coming. That saturday Adam and Eve went to the movies on their first official date. They saw a film about a 14 year old super hero, super villain, and mad scientist all starting highschool together. It was corny, but a good distraction for a few hours. During the previews the theatre showed an ad asking for volunteers for building Arks. The ad called it patriotic to volunteer for this project. After the movie Adam and Eve went back to Eve's house to watch tv. Her parents weren't here, Zack was probably at work, Kendall at the grocery store. Adam was allowed here, but not allowed upstairs, where Eve's room was. Eve was a bit tired of the news, especially with the countdown, which now said 1254 days. After some channel surfing they ended up watching old episodes of "Buffy." It was somewhat encouraging to see the slayer save the world from the master vampire. Eve didn't understand why the Master would want to kill all humans, that would cut off the vampire's food supply. Eve figured she could save the world if someone gave her slayer strength. Around 6pm a news story broke. This worried Adam and Eve, breaking news was not comforting lately. But this story was about Nikki Calendar. Eve remembered Nikki as the cute kid from a sitcom years ago. The premise involved an NBA star adopting 12 kids. But not Nikki Calendar. 19, had discovered her boyfriend Cheating on her. Nikki shot and killed both of them, then turned the gun on herself. Eve was shocked. She also knew this tragedy was minor compared to what was coming. But it was also exciting, and far away from Eve. It was fun to lose herself in a small time scandal like this for a little while.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

.

Over the next few weeks things seemed to return to normal, aleit a different normal than before Febuary 4th. Classes continued. Eve enjoyed her history and science classes more than before. But part of her did wonder what the point in learning these things was right now. Her home-economic classes learned to make food, and desserts, and sent much of it to Ark workers in care-packages, Her art teacher encouraged them to make cards of encouragement for these workers. Eve didn't mind doing this, felt very patriotic and proud. Lunch-hour conversations turned to ELE, one way or another some were considering joining a summer program to build an Ark, earn more lottery chances. There was talk that Mason would give those with small children more lottery chances. Thus a number of girls were considering getting pregnant soon. The boys were, for the most part, willing to help. They figured that as fathers they'd also have more chances. Others were going the other way. They were considering suicide, with little chance of getting into an Ark, and the countdown getting smaller every day, some thought it better to just end it all now. Eve didn't want to die. But she wasn't sure about bringing a child into this world right now. The summer program seemed like a good idea. Eve was becoming used to her mother drinking again. Kendall at least seemed to be a functioning alcoholic. She made meals, cleaned the house, and ran her errands. But at night she lost herself in liquor. Zack spent most of his waking hours at Ravenwood. Maybe that was his way of coping, but at least he was trying to save lives. Eve tried to be understanding. She wouldn't have started smoking were it not for ELE. Eve didn't smoke at home, usually outside school or on the way home. She bought her ciggaerettes at the local store. The clerks weren't suppossed to sell to minors, but that seemed less important lately. This one clerk, Ed, had always seemed polite before Febuary 4th. Now, he insulted rude customers. Eve couldn't blame him, he'd been nice his whole life, what point was there in putting up with jerks now. When Eve got home she watched the news, wondering if there was anything new she should know. But he also looked for more coverage of the Nikki Calendar story. That coverage didn't last long, so she hoped for more scandals she could lose herself in. At one point in March she saw a bank commercial. The narrator said "NASA says the world might end on July 20th 2036. If that's true, you don't really need a retirement plan. But just in case the sun rises on July 21st, you might want to talk to us." The end of the world was something of a running joke. Eve doubted her parents would mind, or even notice, if Adam came into Eve's room. But Eve still wanted to feel safe, alone in her room with Cujo. This room was still her safe place.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

.

Eve had not been one for church before 2/4. Her parents had taught her the basics about God, good people go to Heaven, bad people go to Hell. They had considered sending her to a catholic school, but instead chose a public school. Now Eve went every sunday. Zack was usually busy with Ravenwood business, Kendall went with Eve when she wasn't too hung-over. In the month and a half since the big ELE announcement church attendance had greatly increased, as had mosque attendance. When they passed the collection plate Eve gave some of her allowance, others gave nothing. They seemed to be hoarding, in case of emergency. But they still wanted spiritual assurances of Heaven. Eve believed father Mcnamara was right when he said it was their religious duty to help those in need. First lady Sharon Mason had become a symbol for attending many charity benefits in the last month. But Eve was also drawn to certain vices. She enjoyed the tabloid stories of Nikki Calendar, or a certain young couple. This couple made their names by robbing banks, and handing out CD's of their music. This century's Bonnie and Clyde provided excitement to Eve. She knew they were commiting great sins solely for money and fame, but she enjoyed their music. One sunday after mass Eve joined her friends to smoke. Kendall knew Eve did this, she didn't neccessarily like this but didn't stop her. Eve tried to remember the date. It was 1218 days until impact, which meant it had been 44 days since 2/4. That made today March 20th. From a distance Eve saw her mom having an argument with mr and mrs Mathison. She couldn't hear exactly what was being said. But she heard mrs Mathison tell Kendallto stay away from her husband. Eve wasn't sure she wanted to know what this was about.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

.

On the way to Philadephia Adam told the caveman story again, the story of the first baseball game. Two cavemen were fighting over a piece of meat. Caveman A got angry and threw a rock at caveman B. But caveman B used a tree ranch to hit it back at caveman B's head. Thus the first game of baseball ended very quickly. It was March 25th, 2033, 1212 days until impact. It was also the start of the new baseball season. For an early birthday present Eve and her father were taking Adam to the Phlllies opener. Eve liked the Phillies, she wasn't as much of a baseball fanatic as Adam, but there was something inspiring about baseball continuing even under these circumstances. The commissionar had considered shutting down professional baseball for the duration of the crises. But president Mason had recommended that it should continue. He knew Americans were going to have to work harder, and for longer hours, for the forseeable future. They would need a little fun and entertainment more than ever before. Eve was glad to be here at Veteran's stadium, technically Veteran's stadium II. She rarely saw her father these days, and it was a good excuse to stuff herself silly. Hot dogs, french fries, ice cream, sodas. There were signs on the field, asking for Ark worker and/or care packages for these workers. There was really no way to avoid reminders of ELE these days, but a small distraction was neccessary. Adam said the best night of his life was years ago at this stadium, seeing the Phillies beat the Yankees in game 7 to win the world series. He quickly tried to back-track and say the night Eve first kissed him was the best night. Eve was amused by his awkward and touching statement. At the game Eve ran into Karen. Karen also said hi to Zack. Eve had heard that Karen had a part-time job at Ravenwood, but didn't realize that these two knew each other. Zack went to the restroom just after the 7th inning. After nine innings the Phillies and the Dodgers were tied at 2 runs apiece. In the 10th inning the Phillies blanked the Dodgers. In the bottom half the Phillies loaded the bases with only one out. A sacrifice fly won the game for Philadelphia. This was an exciting game, Adam and Eve got to pretend this matterred for a few hours. But Eve's father still hadn't returned. As everyone left Eve tried calling him on her cellphone. When she didn't get a call back Adam went into the men's room to make sure Zak was okay. Then Eve found a shocking sight. Her father, and her friend Karen, were in a corner together, kissing passionately.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

.

Eve said nothing about what she had seen in Philadelphia. She said nothing on the way home, but her father could tell she was angry about something. When they got home she went straight to bed, hoping she could forget it all. But she woke the next day and she remembered Adam had seen it too, so Eve woud talk to him.

.

Eve: You didn't tell anyone what you saw, did you?

Adam: Just the Phillies winning in the 10th.

Eve: Both of my parents, committing adultery.

Adam: We don't know for sure about your mother.

Eve: I tried to tell myself that I mis-understood, I don't see the point in denial anymore. I thought my dad was helping to build Arks, save our lives, along with others.

Adam: I think he is, but he can't do it 24/7.

Eve: Right, he helps with details on the shelters, and cheats on his wife during lunch. And mom is a drunk and an adulteress, but she cleans the house and gets our groceries despite the large crowds.

Adam; It's the times we live in. We all go a little crazy sometimes since 2/4.

Eve: Promise you'll never leave me Adam. If you go to work on a shelter this summer I have to go with you.

Adam: I promise you Eve, I will never leave you.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

.

On Saturday night, March 26th, Adam and Eve were watching a special, discussing whether this was really the end of the world. Kendall was probably at a bar. Zack was allegedly at work, Eve was suspicious. He was suppossed to be at a conference in a few weeks,making an alliance with the Saudi royal family for oil for their Arks. Eve wondered if Karen would be with Zack for this. Some of those interviewed in the special believed this was foretold by Nostradamas. While Nostradamas seemed to have predicted terrible catastrophies, he also seemed to have predicted the world surviving until at least 3997. Whether this had been predicted in the Bible was also debated. Eve's parents said they remembered a numer of people in their lifetimes predicting the end of days. Y2K, one preacher made four predictions of the end date, and was proven wrong each time, and some had believed the ancient Mayans predicting the world would end in 2012. All these predictions were proven wrong, but then none of them had ELE to back them up. There was no denying that there had been an increase in violent crime since 2/4, yet some feared it was only the beginning. There had been wars and rumors of wars for all of human history. How much worse that could get was anyone's guess. Israel and Pakistan working together was an encouraging sign, but some still feared that all efforts at peace would ultimately fail. Some in this special feared the rising of a world dictator, called the "anti-christ" by some. The closest candidate, some believed, was president Cheng of China. Before 2/4 Cheng was a hard-liner, taking harsh steps to suppress religious activity in China. After they began building Arks the government tolerated some religious services, recognizing that people were in-curably religious. Some in China were threatening to strike, refuse to build Arks, unless Cheng officially granted them religious freedom. What happenned might be anyone's guess. Others claimed George Mason might e the anti-christ, appearing to be peaceful but decieving many. Since 2/4 there had been price-gouging, the stock market appeared to be collapsing. Congress was considering giving Mason the authority to institute wage and price-freezing. Some feared that could only be the first step in Mason taking absolute power. Only time would tell.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

.

On Sunday afternoon, when Eve got back from mass,she started flipping through the channels. She found this one religiousstation, the Trinity Broadcasting network. Adam said these guys had been predicting the end of the world since 1970, now they seemed to have been proven right. Apparently the apocalypse was big business. Reverand Walker was preaching that these were the final days, we should expect things to get worse before the end.

.

Walker: These are the final years before the end, we need to protect ourselves. Not with government or home-made shelters. Those will burn. Only by accepting the lord Jesus Christ can you save your souls and be accepted into Heaven when ELE hits the earth. Since Febuary 4th we have seen an increase in sin. In drug and alcoholuse, in adultery and other sexua perversions. Many false messiahs will rise during these years. We all remember the charlatains selling magic charms to protect us, people desperate enough to believe them. Those will be nothing compared to the anti-christ who will wage war on all true believers, until he is cast into Hell by Christ himself. It seems incomprehensible that even now, when God has shown such a clear example of his divine power, that any would reject Christ's message of salvation. But scripture is very clear that most will be led astray. Do not be one of them! You are not guaranteed one breath more than the one you are taking right now. Do not wait another minute! If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your personalsavior, do so right now and be saved.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

.

On Friday April 8th Adam and Eve camped outside the supermarket. They wanted to be here when it opened on Saturday morning. Eve could remember this store being crowded when the weathermen mentioned snow. Things became more crowded since the crises began. There was something aboutt he countdown reaching below 1200 days that seemed frightening. Adam and Eve weren't the only ones camped out here tonight. Adam brought his tent, he subtly implied to Eve that if she wanted to have sex, he'd be ready. Eve wasn't ready and made it clear to Adam. With crowds this big president Mason was considering food rationing. There was some grumbling about this from the crowd, and some conspiracy theorists. Eve didn't give thee guys much credit, but she did wonder exactly when Mason learned about ELE. It did seem odd that the president pushed so hard for gun-control his first term, thus preventing armed rebellion from an increasingly angry people. When the store opened Adam and Eve rushed inside. Ed tried to keep order, it was amusing seeing him telling off the jerks who pushed and shoved other customers. They had never appreciated peanut-butter and jelly until it became hard to get. Someone tried to take te jar out of Eve's basket. Adam took the jar back and threatened him. Had the security guards not been here, a fight could've broken out between them. Eve did appreciate Adam being so protective of her. But she had noticed he seemed more angry these days. He tried to hide this from her, but she noticed. She just hoped their relationship could survive these uncertain times.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

.

After getting the groceries Eve returned home. Mom and dad were out, Eve was still a bit upset, but getting suprisingly used to her parents' respective adultery. Eve tried to catch Saturday morning cartoons. She came across one about teens imbued with super powers to protect this world fromevil aliens. Adam and Eve used to watch this as kids, but all their original heroes had been replaced. Later that day Eve watched the news. They talked about the rise of religious activites these last few months, particularly christianity and Islam. Even a pornagrpher named Ricky Jenkins was showing religious portariats in his magazine. Whether this was hopeful, or degrading, was being debated. It was also being debated if Jenkins' "spirituality" was genuine, or if he was given the perverts what they wanted at the moment. In China, some of those who threatened to strike were executed. President Cheng had eventually granted religious liberty in the people's republic, the blame for the executions fell on one "rogue" officer who'd then committed suicide. In his note he expressed disdain for religious revival and hoped it would be eliminated in the Arks, a secular fundamentalist till the end. Later the news was talking about private companies like Ravenwood and Lockheed Martin building shelters against ELE. President Mason was considering confiscating these shelters under emminent domain. The question became whether he had the authority to do this. No doubt Mason felt this was for the collective good. Eve thought about this. The more shelters the state possessed the more people wouldbe selected from the random lottery. But she was the daughter of an upper level Ravenwood executive. She might have a better chance to get into a shelter like this. The question she had to face was what did she value more, her own life, or the collective good.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

.

Eve had noticed people were angriersince Febuary 4th. Part of it had to do with sleep depravationcaused by night terrors. On Sunday afternoon, with 1197 days until impact, Eve saw a Dr Graham on tv. Graham was giving his own theory on this.

.

Graham: It's not suprising that Americans get angrier when we face an external threat. 100 years ago Nazism threatened our way of life. We fought them, almost everyone did their part. The end result was the complete destruction of Nazi Germany. Then communism seemed threatening, but fighting them was more difficult. For one thing the communist party represented civil rights and racial equality for many. President Johnson realized that fighting for civil rights was a front in the fight against communism, taking away their arguments of America being a racist state. But many became angry with this. The results of this included church bombings, lynchings, involvement in the wars in Korea and Vietnam. But the end result achieved civil rights and the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union. September 11th 2001 seemed to produce an enemy that was even harder to fight. For many Americans it was difficult to distinguish between good and bad muslims. Bush tried to make it clear that American muslims were valuable members of our country. But our collective rage festered, many hate crimes were committed against American muslims and people of middle-eastern descent. America easily accepted the war against Suddam Hussein, a brutal tyrant to e sure, but one who had nothing to do with 9/11. The problem was Alqueda and Osama Bin Laden were not part of any government we could openly fight. This was more frustrating, thus we became angrier. There was never an American flag over Mecca, despite what some wanted. But Alqueda was eventually defeated, Bin Laden killed. Now we face a threat we have no idea how to fight. Our frustration and fear will lead to more and more angry violence. Most convicts were put to work on various shelters after Febuary 4th, and we've seen increased rates of rape, spousal abuse, fights in the supermarkets, even road rage murders. I'm sorry to say that I believe that as long as this external threat remains this violence will only get worse over the next few years.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

.

On Monday April 11th president Mason introduced an act to Congress, the America stability act. It would allow the president to institute wage and price-freezing. Eve didn't understand all the specifics, but it was designed to prevent inflation and exploitation during this crises. The house and the senate were debating this and expected to vote on this bill by the end of the week. Mason said he had tried a hands-off approach, but that wasn't working. Some feared this would lead to him siezing more power. Adam promised to help Eve through this. He joked he was probably a distant relative of James Hellar, last year's republican nominee for president and currently the secretary of defense. With his connections, it might help. Wednesday was Adam's 15th birthday. Eve had already given Adam his gift of a Phillies game, but she still wanted to do something. Like a cake, or they could go to a movie that night. Eve used to look forward to her and Adam's birthdays. But the countdown now stood at 1196 days. On Adam's birthday it would be 1194 days. It was hard to look forward to any day in the future at this point. Every day was one day closer to the possible end of the world. Eve tried to hide it, but her anger at the whole situation was steadily growing. Her parents weren't as comforting as she might've hoped. But as long as she had Adam and Cujo she could survive.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

.

On Wednesday April 13th Adam and Eve went to the movies. They saw a dark comedy about a woman planning to murder her unfaithful husband. She gives him a week to live to ensure their children are taken care of afterwords. Before the movie was a Donald Duck cartoon, emphasizing that everyone should work together towards building Arks. In 23 days it would be Eve's 15th birthday. But instead of looking forward to the future these young loversreminisced about the past. They remembered going to the resort town of Wildwood for a week or more every summer. The neach, boardwalk rides, miniature golf. Their families usually vacationed there together. It seemedlikely that part of ELE would hit the ocean, causing a giant wave. Adam said that he wanted to be at Wildwood, try to surf that wave. The force would probably snap his neck instantly, even if it didn't Adam would drown before reachig the top of that wave. But it seemed as good a way to die as any. This joke was just one ofmany about ELE. Gallows humor helped people cope with the danger. After the movie Adam and Eve went back to her house. Her parents were out, probably with their respective lovers. They began making out. Cujo barked at this but Eve just shut her bedroom door. During this Adam began slowly taking off Eve's clothes. She gently told him to stop, he didn't. Eve became more forceful, kicked him off her bed. She asked if Adam was okay. In his anger Adam hit Eve across the face. Eve was shocked, how could Adam do that to her? Adam panicked and fled her house, leaving Eve alone.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

.

When Eve woke up on Thursday morning Cujo was sleeping by her bed. It seemed that even now he tried to protect her, make her feel safe. But there was only so much this dog could do for her. Eve went to the bathroom mirror. There it was, a black eye on Eve's face. It wasn't some horrible nightmare. Adam, her oldest friend,and recently her boyfriend, had hit her. Eve thought about the previous night, Adam thought she was ready to have sex. She had told him to stop, but she had said it gently, maybe he got his signals crossed. Perhaps she could've just said no more forcefully. Kicking him off her bed physically must've hurt Adam. But did that give himthe right to hit her like that? Eve didn't want to believe that Adam would really hurt her. But then isn't that what most women think, the first time their lover hurt them? Eve knew she couldn't date Adam anymore, but she wasn't sure she wanted him to get in trouble with the law. Eve went downstairs. Her mother was making eggs and hashbrowns. She apparentlywasn't too hungover to make breakfast. Eve tried to not look Kendall in the eye, but Kendall saw Eve's black eye. Kendall became worried about her little girl, asked what happenned. Seeing her mother worried, more maternal than she'd been in a couple of months, Eve couldn't lie to her. Eve told her mother the whole truth.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

.

Kendall called Zack and told him what happenned. Zack came home to be there for Eve. Both of her parents wanted to assure her that everything would be okay, and that none of this was her fault. Together the three of them went to the police station. Eve's parents told her to just tell the truth. Officer Roberts talked to Eve, she told him everything. That included them making out, her physically kicking Adam off her bed. It was only later, after they went home, that certain things occurred to Eve. She'd hurt Adam first, could she possibly be in trouble too? Had officer Roberts thought that Eve had been asking for it with Adam? Maybe Eve was imagining things. She wondered if this was how batterred women usually reacted. Adam had let her down, but this day Eve knew she still had parents. For all their faults they were her parents, and they were there for her. And ofcourse she still had her always faithful Cujo.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

.

When Eve woke up on Friday April 15th she noticed the sun was higher than it usually was when she woke up. She checked her watch, 8:55. School started in five minutes, had her parents slept in well? Eve and Cujo went downstairs, Kendall was again making breakfast. She assured Eve that she didn't have to go to school today. They weren't sure if Adam had been arressted, and they didn't want to take the chance that they might see each other. Either way, they figured Eve could use the day off. Eve decided to take it easy, watch some tv. This wasn't too bad, except for the countdown at 1192 days. Eve ended up watching old re-runs. She saw Buffy save the world again. This time she did it by sending her vampire boyfriend Angel to Hell. Even Buffy seemed to have gotten darker over time. She could save the world, but not without sacrifice. Around 1pm officer Roberts stopped by to talk with Eve and Kendall about the case.

.

Kendall: What's happenning?

Roberts: We've spoken with Adam, the district attorney is offering him a plea bargain.

Kendall: What kind of bargain?

Roberts: Four months of hard labor, working on one of the Arks.

Kendall: Wouldn't that get his name added to the lottery more times?

Roberts: Yes. After 2/4 the president had most inmates working on them. The system has adults with criminal record, they get their name added once for every month they work on the shelters. Two times per month for adults with no criminal record. The number is doubled for juveniles.

Kendall: So he gets rewarded for hitting my daughter? Four months, two chances per month. Adam gets 8 more chances.

Roberts: Actually, since he has no record yet, it would be four chances per month.

Kendall: You've got to be kidding me.

Roberts: I'm sorry. The fact is, we don't have the manpower to arrest and incarcerate every offender like this. This is the best we can do. Eve, as the victim you have some say in how we proceed. You can ask the D.A. to prosecute, or you can give your blessing for the plea bargain.

.

Eve thought about this. A part of her did want to punish Adam for hurting her. But she didn't want to ruin his life forever. This would punish him somewhat. She'd be safely away from him and she wouldn't have to repeat her story in court. Against her mother'sobjections Evetold Roberts to offer Adam this deal.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

.

Eve woke up early Saturday morning. She was grateful to have been able to rest yesterday. She'd been having trouble sleeping since 2/4, and needed this rest. But now she was having trouble sleeping again. Eve vaguely heard something outside. She looked out her window, Adam was outside with his parents, and two uniformed cops. He had a small suitcase. Adam hugged his parents goodbye, then went with the cops. They were already taking him to the Ark. Adam saw Eve. He tried to not look her in the eye, he seemed ashamed of what he'd done. Eve knew this was the last time they'd see each other for awhile. She waved awkwardly at him. Although he couldn't hear her, Eve soflye said "Goodbye Adam."


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

.

After Adam left Eve tried to re-adjust to "normal." She went to school, made cards for Ark workers, watched tv. But her parents were once again largely absent after this little crises. Cujo was always there for Eve, perhaps the only real friend she still had. The stability act easily passed both houses of congress. People might soon have to adjust to food rationing. For Eve. this meant long lines at the gas stations. She would keep her mother company in the car during these waits, it was the best way she knew to see her mother these days. President Mason tried to set an example by keeping the heat down in the white house during cold days, and not using the cooling system on hot days. Eve watched the celebrity scandals. The singers who imitated Bonnie and Clyde were killed in a shoot-out with the police. Their music continued to sell big, they were billed as genuine outlaws. The first lady was caught in a love nest with a secret service agent. The president had also been suspected of infidelity, possibly with his press secretary Erica. Mason was a grandfather, but Erica was barely older than his daughter. These all seemed stupid compared to ELE, but Eve liked these minor diversions. She also began watching reverand Walker. If he was right, the only way to get into Heaven was to be saved by Christ. Eve still had no idea what that meant, and this claim worried her. But then some of Walker's claims were outright innacurate. Walker caimed that people were still turning away from God, embracing paganism more than Christianity. The truth was that people were embracing christianity and islam more since 2/4. Buddhism, Hinduism, and judaism all had decreases in membership. Eve had heard one theory. Buddhism and hinduism believed in reincarnation. But with this world slowly going downhill many weren't sure they wanted to come back. Eve had believed in reincarnation before 2/4, now she found herself wanting to believe in this less. Similarly people in Japan were killing whales for oil. Eve might've protested this once. Now, she couldn't really blame them, not if it meant fuel for the Arks. Judaism never emphasized much of an afterlife, and with ELE coming the idea of no afterlife seemed less appealing than usual. People thus turned to the two major religions that emphasized an afterlife of eternal joy. Eve found herself getting angrier in the two weeks since Adam left, and she feared she knew why. She was angrier with Adam for leaving her than for hitting her. As much as it hurt,Adam had always seemed to protect her. He had promised to never leave her, but he did, just when she needed him the most.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

.

Friday May 6th was Eve's 15th birthday. It was also 1171 days until impact. Eve had no real expectations for a big party this year. She'd planned to simply walk home from school to enjoy her weekend. But when school let out Zack and Kendall were there to pick her up. They had a suprise, they were taking Eve to Wildwood for the weekend. Eve was suddenly very excited for her birthday present. They assured her that Cujo would be taken care of until they came back on Sunday evening. The drive took over an hour. Eve did her homework during this ride. When they reached Wildwood Eve still had time for a quick swim in the ocean. Then the three of them had a picnic of pizza and soda on the beach. Kendall had been sober for three days, she promised not to drink during this family weekend. They all felt they needed this bonding time. On Saturday they spent time on the beach, swimming in the ocean. Normally Eve would read a book on the beach during this vacation. But they had neglected to bring books. At any rate this vacation was short, Eve wanted to cram as much fun into this weekend as she could. Late afternoon they went to the boardwalk. Eve went on all her favorite rides, particularly the scary "Castle Dracula." After the rides they went to "Snow White's" which featured posters of Disney movies. After dinner Eve went to the arcade, played a few videogames. She mostly played skeeball, still trying to get that elsive perfect game. She still didn't reach the magic 900 score, but still hoped to get this another day. At the end of the night Eve cashed in her points and bought some small prizes. As they walked back to the motel they came across a boardwalk chapel. Eve had passed this place before, but never taken much stock of it. Tonight a preacher was talking about getting saved by Christ. Tonight, Eve decided to stay and listen for a bit. The ocean had after all always given Eve a certain faith in a higher power. It seemed unlikely that something this beautiful could get created by accident. On Sunday the family went to a buffet for breakfast. They played miniature golf, and spent much of the day at the beach. Eve savored the ocean as much as she could. When it was time to go home Eve kept her car window down. She smelled the ocean until they were too far away. Eve tried to just savor the whole experience. But now, Eve feared she 'd experienced the ocean for the last time.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

.

Monday May 9th was a bit of an adjustement for Eve. It was a bit hard to sit through class when she'd been swimming in the majestic Atlantic ocean less than 24 hours ago. She resisted smoking because she didn't want to take away the smell of salt water that was still in her nose. After school Eve went home. Cujo seemed very happy to see her. That may have had something to do with the fact that the dog had done his business in the kitchen. Eve began cleaning it up, the price of having a dog. As Eve took out the trash she saw some empty beer bottles. Her mother had kept her promise to stay sober for their family vacation, but not much longer. When Eve went back inside she heard something. Mr Mathison was trying to sneak out, but he and Eve saw each other. They just looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, then he left. Eve saw her mother. Kendall was a little drunk, and very embarrassed.

.

Kendall: I'm sorry Eve. I didn't want you to find out about this.

Eve: It's not exactly news. I knew about you cheating on dad, and I know about dad cheating on you.

Kendall: How did you know?

Eve: I'm not stupid. Just tell me why.

Kendall: I'm scared, of ELE. I needed something to relieve the tension.

Eve: I'm scared too, but I'm not sleeping with every guy in school.

Kendall: He and I met in AA. I know he's married, and we were faithful to our spouses. But now, there might be only 1168 days until the world ends and I don't know if we can get in these Arks. Fidelity just doesn't seem important anymore.

Eve: Apparently not. I know dad is with Karen, but at least he's helping with Ravenwood shelters. Hell the president and his wife are having affairs, but they also do their jobs. I guess being my mother isn't an important job.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

.

After her fight with her mother Eve just shut herself off in her room. She did her homework and watched tv. Tonight was the season finale of a soap opera Eve had been watching since she was a kid. There was some question about whether it would return next season. They took the chance and ended the season on a cliffhanger. A main character was shot by an unknown assailant. Eve believed it was the man's ex-wife, which was a shame because Eve was still rooting for them to get back together. This show had been on the air for nine seasons, it would be a shame if it ended like this. This cliffhanger might be fun over the summer, give people a chance to talk about something other than ELE. The next morning Kendall made a big breakfast for Eve, possibly to make up for yesterday. Eve ate in silence. Before she left for school Kendall kissed Eve on the forehead. Eve accepted this kiss but did not return it. Eve cooled down somewhat at school. It was 1167 days until impact, there seemed little point in carrying grudges. Pope Peter II had said it was more important than ever to forgive each other. Just as Peter was trying to get nations and races to forgive each other, Eve would forgive her mother. This day Cujo was outside, barking. Eve went inside to talk to her mother. She found Kendall lying unconsciouss on her bed. This was an all too familiar site these days. Eve tried to decide whether to let her sleep it off, or wake her up and apologize immediately. Then Eve saw the blood on the bed. She ran to her mother to wake her up, but it was no use. Eve called 911. They sent an ambulance, but when Eve saw the gun she knew it was too late. Her mother had committed suicide.

.

When Zack came home he found Eve in a state of shock. His wife was dead, their daughter found the body. He tried to comfort Eve, while also answering the paramedic's questions. There wasn't much questio that Kendall had shot herself in the head. Before 2/4 it was a bit unusual for women to commit suicide with a fire-arm, but was becoming more common. Noone thought Eve had killed her mother, she'd just been unlucky enought to find the body. But Eve did blame herself, their fight had pushed her mother over the edge. Eve would likely always carry around this guilt. An even if she didn't blame herself, they would never again be able to reconcile with each other.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

.

Zack offerred to let Eve stay home on wednesday May 11th. But she would have nothing to do but watch tv, with the countdown in the corner, and think about her mother. Eve went to school, where she couldn't help but notice fewer students than there should have been. School did seem less important to some, they didn't see the point. Some of the older students went to work on the Arks. Others dropped out to have kids. Eve seriously questioned the logic of bringing a child into the world right now. If ever there was a time to question having a child, this was that time. But then if life continued in these shelters people would have to keep having some babies. Quite the conundrum. Other students had even resorted to suicide. This school, which had been nicknamed "Armageddon high" seemed to emphasize to Eve that she was alone. After lunch Eve just left, cut her final two classes. Eve went to the movies. She didn't have the money for a ticket but snuck in. The movie ushers didn't see much point in their jobs either. Like Ed over at the grocery store they'd worked hard, started saving for retirement, only to be told the world was coming to an end. First the theatre played a newsreel about the need for Ark workers. Ironically the movie itself was a different kind of propoganda film. It claimed that ELE was a hoax from president Mason. The point of said hoax was to bring everyone together against a common enemy. There had been some heart attacks and car crashes since 2/4, as well as increased rates of abortion and suicide. But, according to this film, it was worth it to president Mason, to achieve world peace. Eve understood why people like Jack wanted to believe this theory. She inderstood why the theatre showed the newsreel, even before a movie like this. Almost everyone considered thee little acts to be their patriotic duty. Eve did want world peace as much as anyone. She just didn't understand why her mother apparently had to die for it.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

.

Zack said nothing about Eve cutting school on wednesday. If he knew at all he seemed to think she just needed some time to herself. He was bust with work, both at Ravenwood and planning his wife's funeral, which was scheduled for saturday. Eve cut school completely on Thursday. She went to the park, ended up studying for her tests the next day. She knew she'd have to return to school tomorrow, test day. Eve still had the letter from her mother. Kendall's suicide note, sealed in an envolope. Eve wasn't sure she wanted to read this just yet. It was the last thing her mother would ever say to her. But maybe Eve needed to know this so she could properly say goodbye on Saturday. On friday Eve returned to her school. Nobody said anything. Students cutting school was not unusual, especially now. Eve took her tests, went to every class, then went home. Eve thought about the vacation they'd all taken, only one week ago. She wondered if it had been her mother's plan all along. To give her daughter one last good memory to look back on, then blow her brains out. On friday night Eve stared at the envolope. She had to know what it said. The letter was addresses to her directly.

.

"Dear Eve,

I am sorry. I love you more than anything, but I can't do this anymore. Despite what president Mason says I believe ELE will hit the earth. I can't go on with that countdown getting smaller every day. I wish he'd never told us any of this. I wish we could all live in blissful ignorance of this asteroid. I know I'll never reach the shelters. They wouldn't take me, a drunken slut who's a lousy mother. You deserved a better mother than me. Maybe you're strong enough to get through the next three years, I'm not. I hope you live a long life, finding whatever happiness you can. But if you can't, I'll be waiting for you. Until we see each other again, know that I love you with all my heart, and I always will.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

.

Eve wasn't sure what to say at the memorial service. She lovedher mother, missed her very much, but she was also angry at her for leaving when she needed her the was glad that Karen and mr Mathison skipped this funeral. This was supposed to be about family. Eve and Zack were Kendall's only family, friends from the neighborhood also showed up. Father Mcnamara said a prayer, asking God to accept Kendalland forgive her sins. Suicide was looked down upon in the catholic church, but everyone here agreed that Kendall had been driven a little mad by ELE. Zack spoke of when he first courted Kendall, so many years ago. It was easy for Eve to forget that theremust've been a time when her parents were madly in love. Even before 2/4, Zack and Kendall seemed to have taken each other for granted, went from passion to parents. When it was time for Eve to talk, she tried talking about the good times. She remembered her mother staying by her bed when she was sick, how she always made Eve a big breakfast on test days or the first day of school. Eve started crying, so she just finished by saying "I'llalways love you mom.

.

After the fueral Eve and Zack went back home. Eve remembered when her grandparents died people brought food back to her home for the wake. But today only Eve and her dad came here. These days,with food rationing, peoplegot what they needed, but not much more. Not enough to give food to grieving people. A part of Eve was grateful. Her grief was enough without having to put on a brave face for strangers who'd just end up talking sports or movies. Zack tried comforting his daughter. He never knew the right word, but he wanted to be there for her. Eve felt like being alone in her room. Eve did some channel surfing until she found the Twilight Zone channel. They were showing some old episodes about the end of the world. Eve figured se might as well get used to this idea. As much as she would've liked a spaceship to escape on, that wasn't going to happen. Eve later checked the fridge for something to eat. There was stilla piece of birthday cake, from Adam's birthday. Mr and mrs Hellar had given her a couple of pieces of cake, before he hit her. The family never threw away this last piece, for the same reason noone brought food today. This cake was still good, thanks to modern refrigeration technology, but probably wouldn't be more than another week. Eve decided to eat this piece now, one last bit of normalcy. She also took her mother's last bottle of beer. It had been less than 100 days since 2/4, how much simpler things had seemed,such a short time ago. These last 100 days had been hard enough. Eve didn't know how she'd make it another 1163 days. Maybe this beer would help. Either way, it was worth a shot,


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

.

Over the next three weeks Eve cut school eight times. She showed up late, left early. Sometimes Eve left school for one class to smokeor hang out, then go back for the next class. Noone seemed to care, not even teachers or the principal. The teachers just checked off everyone's names without taking attendance. For tests teachers now let the students open their textooks and cheat. They saw little point in teaching the next generation things they would never be able to use. As long as they had records of students showing up and taking tests, they got paid. Eve went to the movies or the arcade when cutting. Sometimes she would shoplift at the mall to try and get a cheap thrill. One time she asked to go tothe ladiesroom, and then just left. She caught a bus to Philadelphia and snuck into Veteran's stadium to see the Phillies play. Perhaps she was acting out to get some attention from her father. It didn't seem to work. Zackhad given her a credit card, but it was often easier to just sneak into places or shoplift. There was a certain thrill in this, but it didn't last long. There was little chance of being arrested by the police for this stuff. The police had limited manpower to deal with crime. Cops sometimes slacked off, took bribes. They had lost the sense of hope they once had towards protecting society. Those who remained loyal had to devote themselves to moreserious crimes. On Friday June 3rd Eve was walking to school. 1143 days until impact. Eve saw some kids spray-painting grafitti on the schoolwall. She asked to borrow a can and join them. Eve had heard an expression lately, that the whole world was now "Slouching towards Bethlehem." Thus Eve spray-painted "Slouching towards Bethlehem" on the wall. It seemed appropriate enough for Armageddon High. Principal Harris parked in the lot and saw these kids vandalizing his school. Harris didn't get angry, didn't even write them up. He just said "Hi" to them and walked away. Even the principal didn't care about vandalism, maybe he even considered it a way to let off some steam. After school Eve went to the mall, shoplifted some lipstick, snuck into the movie theatre. If anyone noticed they didn't seem to care. Eve saw a couple of security guards near the fountain half-working. They would probably breakup a fight if one broke out. But if the store clerks didn't care if she shoplifted, why should the guards. Eve wanted to grab some coins from here, but there were none. Teens had likely looted that area a while ago, and people couldn't afford to waste good coins. Eve went to the clothing store. There was actually a new line of clothes for funerals. People had death on their minds lately. Ironically in a few years people might not even have the resources or time to properly bury their kin. Eve ran into Jack in this store. Four months ago Jack had planned to go to college on a baseball scholarship, play for the U.S. 2036 Olympic team,eventually play for the Phillies. Eve wondered if he really could've made it. Or if ten years from now he would e working at a gas station,talking about his glory days to anyone who would listen.

.

Jack: Planning to buy some last clothes.

Eve: Or steal it, whatever.

Jack: Good for you. You'd look good in that.

Eve: Thanks, even if it is a funeral dress.

Jack: I know. World's falling apart, bound to get worse. Maybe ELE's real, maybe not. Either way, things suck. The plan was to make it big, play in the major in seven years. That ain't gonna happen, I can't take it anymore. Me and some friends, we're checking out.

Eve: You mean, suicide?

Jack: Yeah. Tomorrow night. Final party at my house, and we all check out. You don't want to come,you don't have to. If you do, I'll see you tomorrow at 6pm.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

.

Eve thought about what Jack had said. He was probably right about things getting progressively worse over the next few years. Maybe he had the right idea. Eve bought the funeraldress, and another one. The other outfit seemed to be for loose women. That night Eve saw Bentten, the director of the FBI, talking about the rising crime rate. Benteen said that those who idealized Nikki Calendar, or song writing bank robbers, were contributing to this. He also feared it would get even worse, unless everyone did their part. Eve did fear violent crime, how she might suffer. She had heard stories of the president's son, Jed, and the vice-president's daughter, Zoey, were dating. Before Febuary 4th that had seemed romantic. Now, they were believed to be polyamorous, even engaging in three-ways with other young men and women. Eve had no desire to do that, but a part of her didn't want to die while still a virgin. The next morning Eve wore the revealing outfit to breakfast with her father. Zack didn't even say a word. He didn't even seem to care, why should he when Karen slept over. Her mother had shown her the way out. Suicide seemed better than continuing this downward spiral into a life of crime. Before Zack left for work Eve kissed him on the cheek, and said she loved him. Whatever his faults Eve wanted her father toknow she still loved himafter her death. Cujo stayed close to Eve this day. He seemed to sense something was wrong. Eve played with the dog, tried to assure him she'd be fine. Ironically on this day the news stations were talking about the possile legalization of euthanasia, doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. A recent activist, Hailey, had testified before congress yesterday. Hailey had been a waitress and single mother of two. Hailey's son shot himself in Febuary. In her testimony Hailey said what had bothered her even more than losing her son, was seeing him suffer for weeks before dying of his wound. By operating "mercy clinics" the government could prevent needless suffering and help adults who wanted death. Eve wore her funeral dress, wanting to wear it once while she was still alive. Eve thought about writing a suicide note, but didn't know what to say exactly. Also, if her father found this pre-maturely he might still be able to stop her. Besides, Eve didn't neccessarilywant people to know that she'd committed suicide. At 5pm Eve said goodbye to Cujo, and went to face her own death.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

.

Eve arrived at Jack's house around 5:30. There were pizzas, burgers, and assorted junk food and drinks to choose from. No point in worrying about rationing or weight, not anymore. Shortly before 6pm Jack made his big speech to the thirty assorted guests who'd come here to die.

.

Jack: Welcome everyone, thank you all for coming. These last four months have been hard on all of us, I can't take another 1142 days of this. I have poion, knives, rope, guns. Choose whatever method you prefer. Indulge yourselvesin drink and sex before you check out. If there is a god, I'm sure he'll forgive us for this.

.

Eve then heard a voice say "Liar!" She turned around and saw Nadia. Eve knew Nadia a little from school,after 2/4 Nadia had been one of those who fought for the right to pray before class. Nadia had apparently come here to offer areuttal to Jack's argument.

.

Nadia: Allah is real. He has forbidden suicide. You are leading these people to Hell.

Jack: That's your opinion. You don't want to die, that's your business. But we have a right to die, rather than experience the pain of this world.

Nadia: This world is pain, more is coming. But if you die in sin, the pain of the next life is far worse. And this pain will have no end, but will last for eternity.

Jack: You want to leave, there's the door.

Nadia: I can't stop any of you from committing suicide. But I will try to lead as many away from sin as I can.

.

Jack decided to liven things up with a game of Russian roulette. He took out his revolver and offered it to anyone who wanted to play him. A friend and rival from the baseball team agreed. Jack put a bullet in one chamber, spun it, and closed it while Nadia prayed to Allah that they would come to their senses. But she was unsuccessful. Jack won and his opponent died. Jack as ked for another player. Eve volunteered, she wanted it over with. But Nadia did make some sense. What if the next world was even worse than this? Nonetheless Jack put the gun to his head, click. That chamber was empty. Only a one in five chance the next chamber had a bullet. Eve put the gun to her head. But she couldn't bring herself to pull the trigger. Maybe Nadia got through to her. Eve offerred to forfeit the game, but this seemed to make Jack angry. He didn't lose gracefully. It seemed he wanted to be a big man, one last time. Nadia and Eve were ruining that for him, hard to tell what he might do to those who refused. Eve asked Nadia to come with her out of the house. Nadia was thankful to have saved Eve, but she wanted to stay. She was willing to risk her life to save others. Although she feared Jack's anger now, Eve agreed to stay to protect Nadia.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

.

Nadia and Eve stood in the corner. Nadia tried to talk these people out of suicide. Eve wasn't even sure it was her place to stop them. But she admired and respected Nadia, and didn't want her to be hurt. Jack and some of the others got annoyed by Nadia, felt she was infringing on their right to die. Jack got angry, particularly when two others joined Nadia and Eve. They were two boys, RJ, and one whose name Eve didn't know. They seemed to have become inspired by Nadia's courage. This made others angry. They felt that Nadia and her friends were judging them. Eve realized these people were not thinking rationally. Eve suggested they leave while they still could. But Nadia had already saved three people from damnation. She refused to leave if their was a chance she could save anyone else. Thus her three protectors stayed as well. Jack lost it. He grabbed his gun, and told these four to go into the basement. Nadia still refused to move. If neccessary she would die for Allah. Eve knew Jack would kill Nadia. She punched Nadia out for her own safety. Eve and the two boys tried to drag Nadia outside, but Jack still forced them to take her to the basement. Eve wondered why Jack would force them to the asement, rather than force them outside. RJ believed Jack wanted Nadia to see their dead bodies later, knowing she had failed. As Nadia woke up Eve tried to explain why she had slugged her. As they talked they began smelling smoke. RJ said the door was locked, the smoke was coming from upstairs. Then Eve realied, Jack was trying to murder them all, and set fire to the house. Eve seriously regretted coming here tonight. Fire and smoke inhalation seemed like an incredibly painful way to die. Unless they could get out their defection to Nadia's side would be for nothing. RJ and the other boy tried to break open the door. These stairs could only hold two of them, and they were the strongest two. Nadia recited the Shahadah, an islamic testimony of faith that is given before death. Eve didn't know many formal christian prayers, she just asked God to get them out of this. Perhaps God was indeed listening, RJ and the other boy broke open the door. Nadia and Eve followed up the stairs. As they saw the fire destroying the house all the bodies were unconsciouss. Hard to say if any of them were still alive. Nadia was unsure if she should try to help them. Eve said she did all she could, time to protect herself. Nadia agreed and fled with Eve and the boys.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

.

Once they got out of the burning building this foursome began looking for a phone tocall 911,but the fire trucks were already on their way. The paramedics gave them an initial exam, then took them to the hospital. The doctor was examining Eve when her father came. Eve was uneasy about telling her father the whole truth, but maybe she had to.

.

Zack: Are you okay sweetheart?

Eve: Yeah. The doctor says I'll be fine.

Zack: What happenned exactly?

Eve: I tried to kill myself dad.

Zack: I don't understand. Why would you do something like that?

Eve: Because, I'm tired. Take a look at the last month. I cut school, I shoplift, and I wore that slutty outfit. I wanted to feel something, anything, other than fear and grief.

Zack: After your mom died, I saw you acting out. I Figured you just needed some space, maybe let off some steam. But did you reall think that suicide was the answer?

Eve: Sometimes, yeah. I think maybe mom had the right idea.

Zack: I'm sorry, I should've been there for you after she died. I'm glad you couldn't do it.

Eve: I almost did. I put a gun to my head, but I couldn't pull the trigger. This girl, Nadia, talked me out of it. She convinced me I could go to Hell if I commit suicide. It's only 1142 days until impact. Actually, it's after midnight, so 1141 days until impact. But Hell is forever.

Zack: I owe this Nadia girl a big debt. I'll be there for you more, work less hours or from home, whatever it takes.

Eve: Thank you dad. And I'll do better too. I'll stop cutting and stealing.

Zack: And wear more modest clothing.

Eve: I promise.

Zack: Okay. We both made some mistakes lately, but we can promise each other we'll do better.

Eve: Okay. Let's do it.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

.

Eve went back to school on Monday. Her father told her to come right home after school. Although few cared about classes anymore, Eve was determined to do better. Eve talked to her new friend Nadiaduring Eve had grown upin the catholic faith Nadia's courage inspired her. Maybe Islam made sense. According to Nadia Islam seemed much like christianity. The main difference was that it viewed Jesus as a prophet, not the messiah, and it considered Mohammed to be Allah's final prophet. This actually made more sense to Eve. She had never reallyunderstood how Jesus could die for her sins,it made more sense if he was a prophet. Also, even in these troubling times, there was no excuse for certain sins. Suicide was always wrong. It seemed better to endure temporary pain in this life, than eternal pain in Hell. And Eve knew she had no excuse for stealing from the mall, those shop owners had done nothing wrong to her. Also, killing innocents was always wrong. There was no difference between killing one innocent and wiping out all of huanity to Allah. Nadia invited Eve to her mosque. They had daily services since 2/4. Eve considered this. She had always found christianity comforting, but Eve still ended up at Jack's house putting a gun to her own head. But Nadia's faith gave her the strength to risk her life, just on the chance she could save total strangers from damnation. Maybe it was time to give Islam a try.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

.

On Tuesday june 7th Eve tried to make amends for her stealing. She returned the items she had stolen, or paid the shops for what she'd taken. This was embarressing, but she felt it had to be none. Luckily Nadia was with her for support. Most of the clerks were suprise, but grateful. As they went into a fashion store to pay for lipstick, the clerk seemed confused. He said he needed to contact his supervisor. Eve waited anxiously. Within ten minutes the supervisor came with two security guards. Eve was suddenly very worried. Was she about to be arrested? This store might have a zero tolerance policy for stealing, even those who tried to make it right. After 2/4, that might be the only way the store could stay in business. One guard questioned Eve, another questioned the clerk. Eve confessed to stealing lipstick, and that she was now trying to pay for it. The guard asked if Eve had stolen money from the register. Eve denied this, didn't know about any missing money. She wished this place had security cameras, but vandals had destroyed them a month ago. After a little while Eve noticed the clerk seemed a bit nervous. The clerk soon confessed to stealing the money, trying to use Eve as a convenient scapegoat. Eve was relieved. As they placed hand-cuffs on himthe clerkdidn't seem nervous. He said he'd just work it off in an Ark, earn more chances anyway. The supervisor decided to let Eve just pay off her debt. He also realized Eve was more honest than his former clerk, offerred her a summer job.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

.

Over the next few days Zack noticed a marked improvement in Eve's behavior. She went to every class, came straight home, even returned what she had stolen. Zack worked from home this week. Mr Dole, the main owner of Ravenwood, allowed this because of Zack's family crises. But Zack was expected to return to work next week. Eve's new friend Nadia stopped by the house after schoola few times. She'd saved Eve'slife, so she was always welcome. Nadia invited Zack and Eve to her mosque. Eve agreed to go to friday prayer service, Zack still hesitated. But if reading the Koran or praying towards Mecca helped Eve, kept her from acting out, Zack was all for it. With Nadia's help Eve took a good look at her school. Many had become apathetic because the hope for the future was diminished. They gave into their darker impulses because they figured they wouldn't have to suffer the consequences for very long. The clerk who stole and blamed Eve figured that even if he got caught, it just meant forking on an Ark and having a better chance for survival. Eve if he didn't make it, how long would he have to suffer the consequences? But what if they were wrong?People gave up, cut school, did drugs, had se with multiple partners. Before 2/4 teachers were fired or arrested for having sex with students. Now, they barely hid these acts. The school became dirty with litter and grafitti. There seemed little point in cleaning up the school with ELE coming. Eve was well aware that she'd contributed to this. But now she attended all classes, plus read the Koran. Eve didn't steal and she wore modest clothing. She still smoked, but hoped to be able to quit soon. She still agreed with father Mcnamara about giving to charity. Nadia recommended some charities that her mosque worked with. On friday june 10th Eve went to Nadia' mosque for friday services. Nadia had taught Eve how to pray properly. Eve knew that men and women prayed in seperate areas. The point was to avoid looking at members of the opposite sex in revealing postures, at least during prayer. Eve was suprised that Nadia was leading the prayers for women. This mosque had no formal imam, those who read from the Koran were simply the ones who knew it best. Eve cleaned herself up, washed her face and hands, and went to the women's prayer room. She was worried she'd feel out of place here. Islam was known for having African-American or middle-eastern memers. But it seemed Eve was not the only Caucasian girl here. How many were muslims before 2/4, Eve did not know. As the new girl here she didn't feel comfortable asking, maybe later. Eve felt comfortable praying with these people. Strangers from different races, social classes, all come together in devotion to the one true God. Eve felt strength from this. After the service Eve went up to Nadia. She didn't shout, but didn't whisper either. In front of these witnesses Eve gave Nadia the profession of the faith. She said "There is no god but God, and Mohammed is the messanger of God." With that her conversion was complete. Nadia hugged her, they were both muslims now.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

.

Zack seemed okay with Eve becoming a muslim. With 1136 days until impact many were looking for spiritual comfort. ELE still frightened Eve, but she felt more secure now. She decided to do what she could to help people. Although she'd been offered a summer job at the fashion store, it didn't interest her. Eve thought the owner was rude. She could understand why the clerk had stolen from him, even if she couldn't condone it. They were building a shelter in the mountains of Pennsylvania. School ended next friday, june 17th. On june 22nd Eve could catch a bus to there. If she worked on the Ark for two months she could potentially save lives, and earn 8 more lottery chances. Eve asked her father for permission to go. Eve could've bought forged permission slips, others were rumored to do tis at "Armageddon high." But as a muslim Eve wanted to show her father respect. Zack was uncertain. A lot of convicts were there. But maybe this was Eve's best chance to survive. Also, he knew Eve really didn't want to spend the summer around him and Karen, knowing what they had done to Eve' mother. Eve was grateful when Zack signed the permission slip. She considered it both her religious and patriotic duty. The whole world seemed to be coming together. Israel and Pakistan, Bawa and Askari, America and China. Only North Korea adopted a complete isolationist stance and went solo. Ofcourse some thought they would do a good job because their people were used to living on less food and being told what to do at gunpoint. Eve still prayed for ELE to be diverted or destroyed, or for herself to get into the Ark. If not, Allah wouldknow how she helped save lives. For her final week of school Eve attended all classes, read the Koran at lunch, even cleaned up the grafitti she'd put on the wall. Eve didn't prostalatyze, but if people asked she'd tell them that she was indeed a muslim now. She felt that the best thing she could do was just set a good example. Some found Eve unusual for this, particularly the orn-again followers of reverand Walker. Eve didn't mind those who went door to door preaching about Jesus. They figured they were already saved, yet they took time out of their lives to save others. The ones who really annoyed Eve were the ones who used this salvation as an excuse to sin, and looked down on muslims like Eve. She believed those were the ones Allah would judge for blaspheming the prophet Jesus.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

.

School let out on june 17th, Eve didn't go to build the Ark until june 22nd. She spent the four days in between with Nadia. Nadia was spending her summer doing relief work in another country. Eve would miss her new friend. They had only recently met, but Eve felt she literally owed Nadia her soul. Nadia helped Eve learn the Koran. Eve tried to show Nadia a good time. They went to a Phillies game, payed for it. They didn't sell Halal hot dogs go the girls got Kosher dogs. Kosher and Halal were almost identical. Later the girls went to a movie. The plot involved a woman taking her nine year old daughter in order to protect her from her sexually abusive father. Nadia and Eve were shocked by the ending. When capture became inevitable the woman killed her own child, rather than let her be taken. Movies did seem to be getting darker these days, but then so was the news. One news show did reports of a teenage babysitter running a prostitution ring. College fraternities and sororities fighting deadly duels with pistols and swords. An elementary school teacher and single mother who was moonlighting as a hit woman. And a secret store that sold people, not only weapons to commit murder, but ways to dispose of the bodies. Eve wasn't sure how much was true. This particular "journalist" was looked down on as a tabloid prson even before febuary 4th. But if any of this was remotely true, it was greatly disturbing. Eve understood why the gun control bills were passed, best to keep a populace this angry away from fire-arms. There was little doubt that things were getting darker. Eve was new to this, still had much to learn. She had offerred Nadia a ciggarette, which Nadia declined. Eve realized that she was working on the Ark partly because it meant more chances in the lottery. Nadia was doing charity work purely out of love for Allah. Eve feared this meant that Nadia was a better person than her, even though Nadia never even implied this. Eve feared that she might give into temptation and fall back into bad habits. She would take her Koran, pray every day, and just try to be faithful to Allah.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

.

On the morning of Wednesday June 22nd Zack drove Eve to the bus station. There the bus would pick up her and the other volunteers. Karen was at the house, Eve politely said goodbye. They had been friends once, but it was still awkward between them. Eve wanted to spend as much time with her dog as she could before she left. Nadia was also there at the station to say goodbye to her friend. Eve was nervous. she was 15, had never been away from her parents and home for more than a weekend. The army person in charge of the volunteers was a woman named captain Greer. Eve knew that the army was in charge of building the Arks. She expected some gruff and stoic army man. Captain Greer however was friendly, even cheerful. She seemed like a summer camp counselor, or at least the counselors that Eve had imagined. Perhaps captain Greer was the friendly person the army used to recruit people for this stuff. Greer told these volunteers, mostly teens, that it was almost time to go, they should say their final goodbyes. Eve checked her duffel bag again. Clothes, toothbrush and paste, snacks, a couple of sodas, some make-up, a Koran, and a little cash. And while Eve promised to try and quit she brough a pack of ciggarettes. Then she said her goodbye to Nadia, Cujo, and her father. Then she got onto the bus, and a new adventure.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

.

The bus ride to the Ark site was a little over an hour. Captain Greer tried to keep the kids upbeat. She handed out free snacks and sodas, showed them a brief film about the Ark. The "plot" of this film involved an old man, fifty years from now, telling his grandson aout how he helped build an Ark during the ELE crises. Although ELE had been diverted the old man still took pride in helping to build this shelter. He'd made some great friends during that time, including his wife, the little boy's grandmother. This movie might've been corny, with a fairly obvious message, but Eve liked it. She was still nervous, being away from home for so long. She would return home on August 23rd, 62 days from now. But there were 1124 days until impact. Eve had to help build this Ark in case they couldn't stop ELE. She just had to put her fears aside and do her part. Despite what he'd done a part of Eve wished that Adam were here, a familiar face. But he was on an Ark in West Virginia because his grandparents lived there. Then again, this Pennsylvania Ark probably had teens her age, who were probably as nervous as she was. So Eve decided she could wallow in self-pity for 62 days, or she could try to make some new friends while she was here.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

.

The bus arrived around 11am. Before they were processed captain Greer insisted they all get together for a group picture. They would all be given a copy later to take home. One person joked that if ELE hit these pictures would be on display in the Arks. That was one way to lie on, let future generations know what they'd accomplished. Eve was directed to a medical station for a quick check-up, to make sure she was physically fit enough to work. So far so good. They assured Eve they would find some use for her, even if the tests showed something bad. By this point it was afternoon. Eve was hoping for lunch, but she still had lines to wait in. To learn her job, where she would sleep. Fortunately there were people from the neighboring town of "Caseyville." They were giving away free sandwiches and drinks. Eve ate this in line. She still kept her duffel bag with her. Eve didn't know these people well enough to leave her bag un-attended. Between the confusion, and possibility of stealing, Eve kept her bag with her. Eve hoped to visit Caseyville on her days off. It took Eve a little while to get her bearings. They were building the Ark from inside the mountain. Hopefully the mountain would provide a defense against the coming snow. Eve was asked to get her Ark worker ID. Her mother had taught her how to take a good picture. Start smiling before she steps into the light, hild the smile until it was done. After this she recieved her assignment. She was to help with construction,starting tomorrow. Eve had no experience with construction, but they promised they'd teach her on the job. The first schedule was one week, thursday, friday, sunday, monday, and wednesday. Saturday and tuesday she had off. The hours were 10am to 4m each day, with a half hour each day for lunch. Eve was given her living quarters. She saw four beds, but only one roommate thus far. This girl, Julia, said the other girls were working right now. Julia seemed nice, a couple of years older maybe. Julia and Eve went to the mess hall for dinner. This place seemed like a school cafeteria. The food was free, there was plenty to go around. She'd heard jokes about the quality, but as the new girl she said nothing. Eve only had a peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, some chips, and soda. There was a rec-room with some video games. Eve played pinball for a little while before returning to her room. By the time Eve got back Julia was in her bed quietly reading. Anothr of her roommates was back, asleep. Julia put her fingers on her lips, telling Eve to let her sleep and keep the noise down. Eve quickly understood that people with different schedules would be coming and going at all hours. They would all just have to be as quiet as they could be. The small room had a television, but clearly that option was out. Eve just lay on her ed, quietly reading the Koran. This provided her some comfort during this scary time. Eve knew she had to get some sleep for tomorrow, but was too nervous to relax. She had never been so far away from home. She'd ben on vacations to Wildwood, once to Disneyworld, but always with both of her parents. Now she was here, alone, for two months. Plus she knew that one of her roommates set the alarm for 4am. Knowing this was coming also made it hard for Eve to sleep. Eve feared this was going to be a long night with little sleep, and not the last one.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

.

Eve's alarm woke her up at 8am. Although her shift didn't start until 10am she wanted to make sure to be there on time. Eve showered and changed clothes, then went to the mess hall for breakfast. Eve ate a big breakfast of eggs, bagels, hashbrowns, juice and milk. he figured she should make sure she had enough strength for a full day's work. After breakfast Eve got a few items to pack for her lunch, then rushed her teeth. After brushing her teeth she still had almost an hour left. Eve went to her work area, it was only 9:24. Eve hung outside awkwardly for a little while. She read instructions on safety, like always wearing a hard-hat in certain areas. Eve figured she'd need some hands-on experience to really learn certain things. At 9:45 the supervisor said she could clock on, he would show her how to use the hammer and nails before she started. After this crash course Eve was taken into the mountain. Eve didn't know her way around so she just went wherever the supervisor told her to go. Lifting heavy equipment, nailing wood together, wasn't exactly what Eve was used to. She was already getting blisters, her body would need to get used to this. But she didn't feel she should complain. This was her chance to get more tickets. This was hard work, and Eve feared her co-workers noticed that her work was slower than theirs. Eve eagerly wished for the end of this shift, or at least lunch. At 1:30 her supervisor said it was time for her lunch break. Eve got her stuff from her new locker. This had a sandwich, a bag of chips, and a soda, all from the mess hall. After she ate Eve had a quick ciggarette before clocking back on. Before heading back Eve used the ladies room. There were still five minutes left, but Eve had vowed not to make waves or cause problems. She merely hung out at the clock until it was time to punch back in. At least she had only 2 more hours left. Eve just tried her best to build this big room until 4pm. Her supervisor didn't release her right away. Eve just continued to work. At 4:14 her supervisor said she could leave. He apologized for forgetting about the new girl's schedule. Eve said it was cool and left. Her first awkward day was over. Only 61 days until she could go home.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

.

After her shift Eve walked around for a little while. She didn't know her roommates' schedules yet, good chance at least one of them would be asleep. There were areas with big televisions groups could watch together. The problem might be to figure out what to watch together. As an only child living with others like this might be the biggest adjustment. She looked for the sanctuary. It was non-denominational, people of all faiths were welcome. Not committing to any particular religion it was bare of artwork. Eve liked this. Although she was used to stained-glass windows Nadia taught her that their religion forbade religious artwork. Thinking about it, Eve realized that humans just naturally made God look like themselves. This led to fighting. Eve remembered years ago a black church recieved death threats merely for depicting baby Jesus as black in their nativity scene. Eve prayed in this Ark sanctuary. There were formal muslim services here on fridays, jewish services on saturdays, christian services on sundays. Other than that people could come and pray in whatever fashion they chose. Eve found herself in a strange place, with unfamiliar people. But she believed this was God's work. Eve found her faith in Allah very comforting now.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

.

Eve's second shift was somewhat easier. She had to be told specific functions less, her ody was gradually adapting. Afterwords she attended the islamic service at the sanctuary. Tomorrow was her day off, but she would have little to do. There were buses going to and from Caseyville every day. But she was nervous about going alone. On saturday morning Eve stood at this bus station, deciding whether to get on. As she contemplated this a young boy named Jessie approached Eve. Jessie was 18, he wore a specific ID. The convicts wore this badge, letting others know what they were.

.

Jessie: You going to town.

Eve: Maybe. I'm not sure.

Jessie: You're new, right.

Eve: Yeah, just arrived wednesday.

Jessie: Little tip, days off are boring when all you do is stick around here. There's not much to do, but you can't stay in your room without risking waking your roommates.

Eve: And even thebig television roms I probably can't watch what I want.

Jessie: Yeah. Hard to decide whether to do it by voting, or let everyone have a turn.

Eve: I have to be honest, I'm an only child, sharing isn't my best quality.

Jessie: Wasn't mine either, which is why I made some foolish choices. Anyway, come to Caseyville. It can e fun, and I'll even offer my services as protector.

Eve: I don't know.

Jessie: You're choice. I'll always take adventure over boredom, but that's just me. But if you can find another bodyguard, go for it.

.

Eve thought about it. She didn't want a complete day of boredom, but could Jessie be trusted? Maybe she could get to Caseyville and be okay alone. Eve got on the bus, but sat alone, away from Jessie. The bus ride to Caseyville took less than ten minutes. Eve checked her watch, 10:26. The buses ran every few hours. Eve decided to catch the 6pm bus at the very latest. She walked around for a bit, found a movie theatre. They were playing the old Disney cartoon film "Spartacus." Although Eve rememered this from her childhood, it was nice to see something that had nothing to do with ELE. When Eve got her cash from her purse the cashier saw her Ark ID. He informed Eve that it was half-price for Ark workers. Eve saw the movie, complete with the Donald Duck cartoon about the need for everyone to pitch in. Afterwords Eve found a pizza place. It had a sign "Ark worker's discount." They charged 2:50 per slice, one dollar for Ark workers. This could be fun. After this Eve went to a video-arcade and played some games. At 3:30 she decided to leave. There was abus going back at 4pm. Eve feared she had a neurotic desre to be on time. But then again, maybe showing some initiative wasn't so bad. Before leaving Eve took advantage of the arcade's policy. They gave a free corn dog and small soda to an Ark worker per day. Eve grabbed this to go and got to the bus station. This had been good, taking her mind off ELE for a bit. But on the us back she remembered the countdown, 1121 days.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

.

After her shift on sunday Eve decided to check the bases' library. She knew how to read quietly in her bed, practically all she could do in her room. Although the Koran gave her inspiration, she wanted something new. There she found Jessie, decided to talk with him for a bit.

.

Eve: Any recommendations?

Jessie: My personal favorite if "the count of Monte Cristo." I read it in juvenile hall several times.

Eve: So you read a lot in prison?

Jessie: Not much else to do in there. I also recommend the "Hunger games" trilogy. The movies aren't bad but a lot will be lost on you if you haven't read the books.

Eve: Can I ask you something?

Jessie: It's about why I was in prison, isn't it?

Eve: Yeah, unless you're uncomfortable.

Jessie: I grew up in the foster system, never knew my real parents. As a teen I had anger issues, got into some fights, spent three months in juvenile hall. When I aged out I had little money, a hard time finding a real job. Me and a friend had the bright idea to ro a store. We got caught, I was sentanced to ten years. I wasn't in prison more than three months before Mason's big announcement. So I figured, help build an Ark, earn some more chances, have some more freedom until then. That's my story. I can't justify some of my actions, but I am trying to do better now.

Eve: Allah is your judge, not me. I wish you the best in your new life.

Jessie: Thank you. I wish you the best in your life, whatever that might be.

.

Eve decided to take Jessie's advice and read "Hunger games." She read what she could on sunday, could barely put it down to go to sleep. On monday Eve completed her shift, then immediately resumed her reading. She read until she finished it, then fell asleep from exhaustion. On tuesday June 28th Eve went to breakfast looking for Jessie. For Jessie this was dinner, he'd just finished the late shift. They talked about the book, although Jessie knew the other two books and had to watch what he said, he didn't want to spoil the rest of the story for Eve. After their bonding session Jessie said he was going to get some sleep, but he'd probably be at the game later. There was a baseball game later between convicts and civilians. These games, including also football, hockey, basketball, were a god way to relieve tensions between the two groups. Civilians didn't like criminalsgetting lottery chances, the convicts didn't like the civilians getting more chances when they did equal work. The hope was that after playing each other like this, they could work together later. Eve said she'd be there, possibly even rooting for Jessie's team. Eve wasn't too naive, she figured she knew what Jessie wanted from her. She planned to remain a virgin until her wedding night. Eve figured that there were enough guards here to discourage Jessie. She could gently let him down. But it seemed like Jessie wanted a fresh start, a second chance. And it was good to have a new friend in this place.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

.

Eve went to the game to see Jessie play. She had to admit there was something exciting about watching this bad boy. Once Jessie pointed the bat outwards, doing a called shot like Babe Ruth. The outfielders went out further, thenJessie just bunted, ended up with a single. As Eve watched captain Greer sat next to her.

.

Greer: Who's winning?

Eve: Convicts up 3 to 2. But it's only the 4th inning.

Greer: Good way to relieve tensions. I remember, back in highschool, I had a crush on this one boy, but he was with another girl. Nothing I could do about it, except beat her at a game of air hockey.

Eve: Sounds like fun.

Greer: Yeah, she and I were friends after that. So, you rooting for anyone here?

Eve: Well, Jessie's kind of my friend But I really like baseball either way.

Greer: It is a good game. Just be careful, around Jessie I mean.

Eve: I know what he did, but he deserves a second chance.

Greer: Yes, he does. And I truley hope he doesn't mess that up. I also understand the appeal of a bad boy.

Eve: I'm a muslim, I won't have relations with a man I'm not married to. I don't expect to get married until I'm at least 25.

Greer: Smart women sometimes make foolish choices. Believe me, I know. All I'm saying is, be careful

.

Jessie's team ended up losing 4-3. Afterwards Eve went to talk to him. If nothing else he at least deserved to know where they stood.

.

Eve: Good game.

Jessie: Thanks, we'll beat them next time.

Eve: I think I should make it clear. I want to be your friend, but only a friend. Are you okay with that?

Jessie: Yeah. I never really had expectations I could seduce a young muslim girl like you. I had hopes, to be honest, no expectations.

Eve: Good, I'm glad we cleared that up.

Jessie: You get your schedule for next week?

Eve: Yeah, five days again. One of them is 4pm to 11pm. Late shifts are new, but I'll adjust.

Jessie: Good, you'll have to. I don't think it's a coincidence that they change our schedules every week.

Eve: I thought it was because people keepcoming and going.

Jessie: That's part of it. The other part is they're seeing who can adjust, who can work best at certain jos, who is willing to do hard work without complaining.

Eve: Why's that?

Jessis: To figure out who to put on the Arks. They say that 90% of these people will be chosen randomely in the lottery. Frankly, I think they're lying. Mason lied to prevent panic, to ensure enough calm to get the Arks built. Most of these workers here would not be doing this if they knew they had no chance of saving themselves and their families. Like president Snow said, you always give them hope that they can survive if they play by the rules.

Eve: I don't remember that from the book.

Jessie: Sorry' it's in the movies. Anyway they're evaluating us, deciding who to put on the Arks.

Eve: So, what should we do?

Jessie: You're already in a better position than me. My criminal record probably won't disqualify me, but it'll count against me. They wouldn't give limited space to someone who won't fo;;ow what are no doubt very strict rules. So I really need to stay out of trouble. You on the other hand have a clean record. You're young, able to work hard, willing to not complain. My guess is colonel Sadler will recommend you be chosen


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

.

On Thursday June 30th Eve was working her shift. She thought about what Jessie had said. Maybe he was right, it did make some sense. Her body was already adjusting okay to the hard labor, even the blisters. Probably best to adjust now, with 1116 days until impact. After her shift Eve went to the mess hall for something to eat. She knew that the fourth of July celerations here were scheduled for July 3rd through July 5th. The plan was that people would get to enjoy the festivities at some point, even if they were working on actual independence day. Eve' schedule had her working on July 3rd, and her late shift on the 5th, but off on the 4th. As she ate Eve's roommate Julia came to tell her the big rumor. Zoey Allen, the vice-president's eldest daughter, was visiting this Ark site. She'd be here during the celebrations. Eve remembered Zoey from the "Rock the vote" commercials last year. She believed Zoey was about a year older than Eve. Eve didn't always follow the first family, but they were often in the news. Vice-president Allen had two other kids, the twins Anton and Zeena, who were roughly ten. Zoey was believed to be dating the president's son Jed. There were rumors of those two cheating on each other. Eve wasn't sure she believed those rumors, but there were a lot of them surrounding the first family. The president was believed to have had an affair with his press secretary Erica, but Erica had recently ended the affair to marry another man. First lady Sharon Mason had an affait with a secret service agent named Pierce, but that affair ended and Pierce was fired. Eve remembered three years ago when Mason's other child, Mimi, had a baby and refused to name who the father was. That had seemed scandalous back then, even though Mimi was 22 when she had little Rebecca. Eve tried not to judge, they were all only human. Also the president had said the first family wouldn't go into the Arks, not even him, only to leave other Americans to die. So whatever these people did to relieve tensions, who was she to judge? At any rate it was rumored that Zoey was coming with a film crew. Zoey was a big film buff, colonel Sadlet likely needed more newsreels to attract more volunteers. Eve wondered if she might end up being in one of the newsreels. She hadn't come here to be a movie star, but suddenly liked this idea.


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

.

On sunday july 3rd Eve got her first care packages from home. It contained lipstick, clean socks, and some brownies that Karen had baked. Eve still wasn't ready to accept gifts like that from Karen. Eve went to her room. For the first time since she'd come here all three of her roommates were here, and awake. Eve offerred them her brownies. Julia then gave Eve some of her oatmeal raisan cookies from her care package. The four girls began talking about their homes. Eve wondered if this was what it was like to have sisters. She was learning to share, although she still couldn't remember two of her roommates' names. But they were sharing snacks. Trading little things from care packages was common here. In school, when she brought her own lunch, Eve sometimes traded little snacks with other kids. The four girls talked about the film crews. Julia and one of the others said they'd been filmed briefly. They hadn't come to Eve's section yet, but maybe on tuesday. She was still a bit scared here, but that fear was getting smaller every day. Making new friends, being part of something greater than herself, this place wasn't so bad. Having seen her highschool deteriorate over four months, Eve wasn't sure she wanted to go back. The idea of staying here, being apart from her father and Cujo even longer, still frightened Eve. But to just go to class, ount the days until impact. At least here she could do something about ELE. She wasn't sure what she wanted. But Eve felt she could do this life if she wanted to.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

.

Eve went to the big barbeque on July 4th. Some had already celebrated, but it was good to celebrate the actual 4th. Eve saw Zoey Allen with colonel Sadler and the film crew. Zoey wasn't the director, but was studying to be one. Right now they were filming some of the people at the party, the director aid they would add a voice-over later. Zoey was interviewing some workers with her camera. Eve asked if Zoey wanted to interview her. Zoey decided to ask Eve a few questions with the camera. Zoey asked why Eve was here, she said she wanted to help. It was better than sitting around all summer in fear. Zoey then asked if Eve considered it her patriotic duty to do this. Eve said it was, she had awkwardly forgotten aout that aspect during the first question. When Zoey asked about Eve's head scarf Eve said she was a muslim, had converted almost a month ago. After this interview Eve realized she wasn't very good in front of the camera. It seemed unlikely they would use her interview for any newsreels. After this Eve talked to some of the film crew, including Zoey. Zoey seemed pretty cool, very down to Earth. Although Zoey had a silver ciggatette case she didn't seem like a snob. They talked about movies. Zoey believed movies had gotten somewhat darker lately, they would get darker still over the next few years. There was a re-make of "fail-safe" scheduled for next month. A movie with a doomsday scenario like this might help people adjust, mentally, to ELE. On the other hand outlaw movies would become more popular. Things like food ration cards and wage-freezing made people angry. They needed some escapism, there was also a re-make of "Thelma and Louise" scheduled for september. Little newsreels like this one were also neccessary to recruit more volunteers. Eve went to the barbeque and tried to adjust. This place wasn't so bad, just another story to tell her grandchildren in 50 years. It was at the barbeque that colonel Sadler made the big announcement.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

.

During the barbeque Zoey Allen talked to a few people. She had only one secret service agent guarding her. Some people noticed when this agent took Zoey's hand, and said they needed to leave right now. Noone seemed to know what this was about, but figured it was probably a precaution. Secret service was known to occassionally over-react, ut not for taking foolsh chances with their charge's safety. A few minutes later everyone heard colonel Sadler, the officer in charge of this site, make his announement.

.

Sadler: Attention everyone. If you are working, please continue to do so while I am speaking. I felt it important to tell you right away. There has been an attempt to murder president George Mason. Our president has been shot. He has been taken to a local hospital, we do not yet know his condition. One shooter is already dead. We do not know the shooter's motives or if they acted alone. Vice-president Kimberly Allen has been sworn in as acting preident under the 25th amendment. I realize that it may not be easy to continue working right now, but we must. We must complete our mision, the work is too important to stop. If president Mason does die, he will not have died in vain. We can make sure of that.

.

When Eve first heard colonel Sadler's announcement she went to the nearest tv room. She figured they would be showing news coverage of the shooting. Sure enough they were. Eve's cellphone rang, her father was just making sure she was safe. It was almost 1pm. They said that acting-president Allen would be addressing the nation at 8pm eastern standard time. The shooter was Pierce, a former secret service agent rumored to have recently had an affair with first lady Sharon Mason. Having lost his job, and his girlfriend lately, he didn't take it well. Pierce tried to murder Mason from a distance with a sniper rifle, shot him as soon as he stepped out of the limosine. Pierce tried to escape, but was shot and killed by loyal agents. The news stations were showing Mason's daughter Mimi, hysterically trying to get to her father. Eve was worried about her president, still no word on his condition. They were prepping Mason for surgery right now, the question remained as to whether or not they could save him.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

.

A part of Eve wished she were working today. Doing something would've at least let her feel useful. Pacing around this room, waiting for news, was driving her crazy. Ironically Pierce had been one of the agents who protected Mason from a neo-nazi plot two years ago. If the president was targeted by fanatical racists, that wasn't un-expected. But by a secret service agent, that was scary. Perhaps a further sign that society was breaking down. At 8pm acting-president Allen addressed the nation.

.

Allen: My fellow Americans. At 12:15pm, eastern standard time, an attempt was made to assasinate president George Mason. The president has survived, and is in stable condition. Enacting the 25th amendment, the cabinet has made me acting-president, until George Mason is physically fit enough to resume his duties. The shooter, Aron Pierce, is dead. At this time, there is no evidence that anyone else is involved. It will be investigated thoroughly. I urge you all, in the strongest possible terms, not to engage in rumors you may have already heard, or will soon hear. Stopping ELE, and building the Arks, remain our top priorities. All of our thoughts and prayers remain with president Mason and his family. But we must not allow our fears and grief to interfere with the important work at hand. Whenever any person's life is taken unneccessariy, whether in defense of the law, or in defiance of the law, by an individual or institution, whether it is about race or religion, then we as a species are degraded. Yet we are seemingly tolerating a rising level of violence. Why? What has this created or achieved? The victims, and the perpetrators, have been rich and poor, black and white, young and old, famous and unknown. Our lives on this planet are too short, the work we must do too important, to allow this spirit to rule us any longer. We will persevere. We are all in this together. We must all live together, or die alone.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

.

On Tuesday July 5th Eve tried to sleep late, but her roommates had the television on, hoping for news about president Mason's condition. Her shift wasn't until 4pm. Eve was glad that the dishonorable traitor was already dead. The internet was already buzzing with conspiracy theories. They questioned how he knew which of the seven limos the president was in. Pierce knew secret service procedure, but he'd been fired before this day. Some speculated he had been given a tip, some said by vice-president Allen, others believed it was by Freddy Douglas, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, or apparently by his own dughter Mimi. Eve figured these people were not in touch with reality. Eve eventually showed up for her shift a bit early. It felt good to be doing something useful. She kept thinking about the president. It wasn't suprising that she didn't see Zoey again. If she was even still at this Ark site secret service were keeping her isolated. There was still some food out from the barbeque, but no festive music anymore. The film crew was still taking footage from around this site. Eve barely noticed as she tried to re-adjust, working shifts, relaxing on rare days off. Eve felt somewhat guilty watching movies, playing videogames, over the next week. As if she shouldn't have any real fun while her president was fighting for his life. But she had to learn how to adjust, and keep on building. It's what Mason would've wanted.


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

.

Over the next two weeks Eve worked her shifts. The schedule changed weekly, there always seemed to be at least one shift past 10pm. Jessie might've been right about the military observing how well they adjusted. Eve's supervisors usually let her off on time. If they forgot, she didn't complain. On her time off she went to the movies, read :catching fire" watched baseball games. Care packages arrived, some for her from home, others from civilian strangers. Eve got to read cards from children, they wished these workers luck. These cards lifted Eve's spirits, made her feel like she was a part of something important. One day, Eve heard about an accident in another part of the Ark site. A man, Manny, hurt his leg. There was a very real possibility that Manny would never walk again. Some workers were taking up a collection for Manny and his family. Eve gave a few dollars from her paycheck, and some cookies from her care package. It had been almost one month since Eve came here, soon she'd have four more lottery chances. Eve prayed every day for president Mason's recovery. Although things might get worse over time Eve's faith in Allah, and her patriotic devotion here, helped her get through it all. On Sunday July 17th Eve was walking around after her shift. Barely three years until impact. Today, less than 1100 days. It always felt a bit scary when the countdown reached below another 100 days. Eve found Jessie, he was watching something on his cell-phone. He seemed to be enjoying whatever this was.

.

Eve: What are you watching?

Jessie: A video on youtube. A woman baked rat poison into a pie to kill herself. It wasn't as tasty as she thought.

Eve: Someone actually posted that on the internet?

Jessie: Her friend. It's sort of a cautionary tale now. If you do kill yourself, find a more pleasant way to do it.

Eve: That's not funny. That woman died in pain. And because she committed suicide, she's almost certainly in Hell right now.

Jessie: That's your opinion. Personally, I support Allen's decision to sign the euthanasia bill, within a few months they'll be mercy clinics in every major city. The guards here knw I plan to sneak unto the Ark if I'm not selected, hell I told them. They did nothing, because right now, they need us. I prefer to think of this as thinning the herd. The ones who survive the next three years will be survivors. Guys like me who build Arks, or contribute in other ways. Not those who are weak. We keep going, every suicide takes us one step closer to the Ark.

Eve: That's sick. I tried to kill myself. If Nadia wasn't there, I'd be in Hell right now. I refuse to root for others to go to Hell, just to ensure my own survival.


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

.

On wednesday July 20th Eve had the day off. She went to the movies. Eve noticed Jessie in the same theatre, they sat seperately. Eve was still a bit sore over Jessie enjoying that perverted youtube video. The movie was apparently set in an alternate universe, or was possibly some sort of metaphor. The plot involved America being in a war against Hitler, Stalin, and Osama Bin Laden. These three created some sort of axis of evil, despite the fact that these three all had very different ideas on religion, politics, and race relations. After the movie Eve and Jessie were both standing at the bus station. As they were waiting they heard the announcement, from people in the crowd with smart phones. President Mason was addressing the nation tonight. It was likely he'd be resuming his duties within the week. Eve was excited, she hugged Jessie. Whatever their disagreements she wanted to share her joy with a familiar face. Without thinking, Eve then kissed Jessie. When the bus got back to the Ark station Jessie and Eve went to the nearest tv room. It wasn't suprising that they were all getting ready to watch president Mason. Mason was still in his hospital room. He seemed weakened, but was stronger than before.

.

Mason: My fellow Americans. I want to assure you that I am alive and well. I will resume my duties soon. Until then I have every confidence that vice-president Allen can faithfully execute the office. I am told that the work on the Arks has continued un-interrupted. At moments like this, I am proud to be an American. Proud that my fellow citizens have been able to put their grief aside to continue the important work. Everyone involved in the creation and maintanance of these Arks should be very proud of themselves. Today marks exactly three years until the scheduled impact. But after this, I have no fear of ELE. I have seen how this great nation comes together in crises. I have no doubt that we will find a way to stop or divert ELE. We have overcomeevery challenge through our history, we will overcome this.

.

After Mason's address Jessie walked Eve back to her room. They used this opportunity to talk.

.

Jessie: That's a relief, the president doing okay.

Eve: Yeah, my prayers have been answered. Sorry I got upset with you on Sunday. You've always been honest with me about who you are.

Jessie: "My dear ms Everdeen, I thought we had agreed not to lie to each other."

Eve: Quoting president Snow, are we?

Jessie: When it suits me. Should we talk about the kiss?

Eve: I think we have to. What exactly do you expect to happen?

Jessie: I have hopes, no expectations. I know you have to go back home in a little over a month. I have no expectaions of a long-term commitment. I was hoping we could have a little fun together while we're both still here.

Eve: And by fun you mean?

Jessie: However far you wish to take it, no further.

Eve: We'd have to keep it quiet, or you'll risk getting in trouble. And I'm still a virgin, will remain so until my weding night.

Jessie: Fair enough, and we can be discreet.

Eve: Okay then, let's have a little fun.


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

.

On friday july 22nd Eve finished her shift, and got the paper from colonel Sadler himself. This certified that Eve had worked a full month of shifts, and would therefore have her name added to the lottery four more times, for five chances total. Jessie already had six chances,, they celebrated together. They watched a re-run of Buffy in one of the tv rooms. Buffy saved the world yet again. Eve wondered if the networks might be deliberately showing these episodes frequently, thus giving people some hope. This time Buffy actually died, was this the series finale? Buffy specifically died protecting her little sister, who seemed to have come out of nowhere. What seemed more disturing to Eve was when Buffy's watcher killed an innocent man who shared his body with the hell-god that tried to destroy the world. Jessie remarked that Buffy seemed to get darker over time, like reality. Even back then people seemed to be slouching towards Bethlehem. Eve and Jessie enjoyed their new romance. It would soon be Jessie's 19th birthday. This was dangerous, possibly illegal, but Eve felt she'd had to grow up quite a bit these last six months. They were discreet. Eve watched Jessie play baseball games, didn't cheer for him outloud. Eve read the final "Hunger games" book, "Mockingjay." They never kissed in public, but in private, they had some passion. Jessie nicknamed Eve "Katniss" in private. Eve liked this, but admitted that she had no little sister to protect. Jessie also called this Ark "District 13" after the one from the book. Eve wondered if perhaps that would be what Ark life ws like. No joy, people getting no more rations than they needed to survive, couldn't go outside in the sun, ruled by a dictator with an iron fist. Jessie also taught Eve how to roll her own ciggarettes, a subtle sign that Jessie expected things to get worse. He had always been honest with Eve, even telling the guards his plan to sneak onboard. The guards weren't shocked, they might have the same plan, and said they woud kill anyoe who tried this, Eve also kept up with news about the investigation into the assasination attempt. Benteen, the director of the FBI, often appeared in newsreels, talking about the need for everyone to obey the law, now more than ever. Many teenagers were less responsible than Eve. Incidents of armed robbery increased. Teens felt it was hopeless, best to live the high-life while they still could, even if it meant being killed by the cops. So far there had been no more arrests related to this. Conspiracy theorists seemed convinced someone had texted Pierce which limosine Mason was in. The three main suspects were vice-president Allen, chairman Douglas, and Mimi, the first daughter. These people said Mason had disagreements with Allen and Douglas. Allen thought more extreme measures would become neccessary, and thought she should be in the white house when these decisions came. Douglas allegedly did this because he thought Mason was accumulating too much power, and believed Allen would relinquish this power. And Mimi's motive was that Mason was suppossedly excluding his family from the Arks. Mimi suppossedly conspired with Pierce to murder her father, believing that president Allen would take in her daughter Mimi. Eve assumed that secret service would've checked Pierce's cellphone to see who he might've contacted right before the shooting. If people thought these people would still be free, after evidence implicated them, they were not in touch with reality.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

.

Eve and Jessie both had eary shifts on friday august 5th. Afterwords they went to Caseyville to see a movie. The newsreel before showed president Mason with his family. His wife Sharon, son Jed, daughter Mimi, and Mimi's three year old daughter Rebecca. It seemed that Maon would come back to work within the week, until the vice-president Allen would continue. He thanked Allen, and general Douglas for his counsel. It was inspiring seeing the first family come together like this, along with Allen and Douglas. Those conspiracy theorists were fools. The movie that Eve and Jessie saw was dark. It was about the very troubled relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter. This daughter was violent. She'd sometimes point a gun at her mother, at other times she would beg her mother to kill her. At the end of the movie it is revealed that the mother had an aortion years ago. This had been her imagining what would've happenned if she'd had the baby. At the end the "daughter" forgives the mother for everything. After the movie Eve and Jessie talked as they waited for the bus.

.

Eve: That was a weird movie, but it was your choice. You're the birthday boy.

Jessie: I'm not picky. Any movie that has hot girls with guns, I'm happy.

Eve: Glad to see you're happy. I did like the idea of forgiveness. And the idea that a person can do something bad, but carry around guilt over it.

Jessie: Yeah. These days, I'd say we all have to be a bit more forgiving of others.

Eve: That's sweet. I could probably go into the bakery for a couple of slices of cake. We could eat them back at the site, to celebrate.

Jessie: Sure, but it's on me.

Eve: I should treat, it's your birthday.

Jessie: Yeah, but I'm the guy, and we're on a date. I should pay.

Eve: How about we split it?

Jessie: Fair enough.

.

When Eve and Jessie got back to the Ark site they went to a secluded spot. This area had picnic benches, but few were here this night. They ate their cake. talked about things. ELE still terrified them, 1080 days until impact. But working on this Ark helped allieviate those fears. Jessie wasn't normally a praying man, but since 2/4 he had prayed at times. Eve was still a new muslim but believed that building these shelters would improve their chances of getting into Heaven. It didn't completely end their fears however. On this night, these two bonded over their mutual fears. They wanted to comfort each other, and take comfort in each other's arms. Eve had wanted to keep her virginity until she was married. But she loved Jessie, and she was scared. And these days, who was to say she'd ever get married? On this night, Jessie and Eve made love for the first time.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

.

On Saturday August 6th Eve woke up in her bed, Jessie wasn't there. This wasn't too suprising, he had an early shift, and the work was important. She wished she had to work today, it might take her mind off last night. Eve looked at herself in the mirror. She didn't look different, but she felt different. They'd used protection, little chance she'd become pregnant. Still, Eve hoped to get her period soon. Julia was also up, another roommate asleep. Eve motioned towards the door, silently asking if Julia wanted to eat breakfast with her. They went to the mess hall together.

.

Eve: Thanks for coming.

Julia: I have a shift in two hours, I need to keep up my strength.

Eve: I just needed to tell someone this. I was with a guy last night.

Julia: So that's what that noise was?

Eve: Oh God, I'm sorry. I actually thought we were quiet.

Julia: I'm kidding. I could sleep through almost anything at this point. Was it Jessie?

Eve: Yeah. It was my first time. Not his though.

Julia: Congragulations.

Eve: I'm not suppossed to do that.

Julia: What, fall in love?

Eve: Have sexual relations outside marriage. I've been a muslim less than two months and I'm already sinning.

Julia: So what, muslim girls never make mistakes?

Eve: Clearly we do. What am I going to do?

Julia: You leave in less than three weeks. My advice is do your job, have some fun in your downtime.

Eve: What if I stay here?

Julia: Yeah, I've been thinking about earning more chances. Just hope you're not staying merely for a guy.

Eve: I don't know. This place isn't so bad, once you get the hang of it. I don't want to make love to a guy and leave him three weeks later. But I also want to go home. To my dad, to Cujo. I'd feel safe there. I have some serious choices to make in the next couple of weeks.

.

When Jessie finished his shift on August 6th Eve was there to see him. They went away to talk in private. Jessie wondered of others thought this suspicious but it was clear that Eve needed to talk to him.

.

Eve: We need to talk, about last night.

Jessie: Okay, what specifically?

Eve: Our relationship, it changed last night. So, where are we now?

Jessie: You leave on the 23rd, I'll be staying here. Even if I could leave, I'd probably stay to earn more chances.

Eve: Okay, then what?

Jessie: Then you're free to date other boys, I'm free to date other girls.

Eve: So, we're not monogamous?

Jessie: We are, while we're together. But long-distance relationships don't work.

Eve: I think I just figured out why I'm not suppossed to have sexual relations outside of marriage.

Jessie: I'm sorry if there was a mis-understanding, I thought I was pretty clear about this.

Eve: You were, it's my fault. I guess I saw what I wanted to see.

Jessie: We get scared, and fall in love. What's wrong with that?

Eve: I have to admit, you make some valid points. I've already lost my virginity, if Allah does forgive that, he won't be angrier if I do it again. Maybe, while we're both here, we can have a little more fun.

Jessie: Sounds like fun, I'm in.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

.

Although they feared getting caught Jessie and Eve continued their secret love affair. They didn't go to the movies together, Eve attended baseball games when he wasn't playing, said she just liked baseball. She hoped this would throw people off their scent. Eve also read "the count of Monte Cristo" on Jessie's recommendation. A man escapes from prison, found a very large fortune, got revenge on those who locked him up. Eve could understand why a man who'd been to prison would love this book. In secret, these two would give in to their passion. Sometimes in Eve's room, sometimes in Jessie's. Both had roommates who kept quiet. It was an un-written rule in these rooms. If you had a lover here, be quiet. Don't talk about your roommate's lovers. Both Jessie and Eve had been this discreet for their roommates. Now they returned this favor. Despite her previous attempt to remain pure, Eve couldn't deny it was fun to be in a forbidden romance. She still attended prayer services every friday. Allah would forgive her sins if she worked on the Ark. A passionate romance, more lottery chances, eternal salvation if ELE did hit. Eve thought, "this could be worse." On tuesday august 9th Eve recieved a notice. She was to report for jury duty next week. This was part of the Ark's internal justice system. Someone was accussed of a crime. A jury of 12 Ark workers would determine guilt or innocence. This trial started next monday, could take the entire week. Eve was excused from normal work shifts for this trial, jury duty qualified as work in terms of earning more lottery chances. The trial had three officers, a judge, a prosecutor, and a defense attorney. Jessie theorized that this jury duty was their way of orienting workers towards the future Ark's justice system. This would be an interesting experience. On monday Eve went to orientation for jury duty. They explained how this court worked. The defendant was accussed of raping a female worker. The prosecutor would question the woman, who would in turn be cross-examined by the defense attorney. Then the defendant might testify on his own behalf, then be cross examined by the prosecutor. This trial happenned just as they said it would. Eve had seen the defendant, and his alleged victim, around the Ark site. She didn't know them personally. Colonel Sadler was the judge, he seemed more stern today than Eve remembered him, but today he had to be. Captain Greer was the prosecutor. Eve hadn't seen the defense lawyer before. They weren't real lawyers, in these parts the army just used officers. The trial itself lasted only a day. The woman said this man had raped her, he said it was consensual. The jury was sent to deliberate. They were unable to reach a unanimous verdict by the end of the day. Colonel Sadler sent them home with orders to return tomorrow morning, and not discuss this case with anyone else. One thing about this case that worried Eve. If this man were convicted, they still needed him to help build the Ark. The only punishment would be losing his lottery chances, possibly all that he'd earned here. That seemed scary, having a man convicted of rape back on the job so soon. Then again, only 1070 days until impact. Losing lottery chances was the worst thing they could do to this guy. On tuesday august 16th Eve reported to the jury after breakfast. Judge Sadler informed them that a plea argain had been reached. The defedant had been at risk of losing all six of the chances he had earned here. In exchange for pleading guilty this man lost only three. Then they put him back to work, that very day. Eve knew that convicted felons worked here, but she thought they could at least remain well-behaved when their survival was at stake. This emphasized that wasn't neccessarily true. Only one week until she went home to her father and Cujo. Eve had though about staying here. Now, she really wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed, with only Cujo sleeping near her.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

.

Eve had mixed emotions her final week at the Ark site. After the trial Eve was more anxious than ever to return home. But she also knew that she'd miss Julia and Jessie. Their summer romance remained interrupted by their respective shifts. During their downtime Jessie explained a sort of black-market at this site. People all over the country were sending care packages to these places, including some from Caseyville. Ifindividual got thee packages they could do with them as they pleased. If it was given to the Ark as a whole colonel Sadler and others distributed them as they saw fit. Often those who broke the rules were denied any little treats. Some people traded items with others. When Eve got a care package in August it had some of Karen's brownies. Eve ate one, gave some to her roommates, and kept one for trading. With Jessie's help Eve traded this final brownie to a girl for some lipstick. Eve remembered why she was attracted to this bad boy. Jessie was dangerous, but not too dangerous, actually protective of Eve. He had made this place less scary. She wondered if he was teaching her about this trading to entice her to stay, or was just hoping she'd come back next year. On monday August 22nd Eve worked her final shift. It was early, but short, 7am to 12pm. Her supervisor was only three minutes late relieving her. After this shift Eve was sent to colonel Sadler's office. A part of her feared this was about her relationship with Jessie. But he just wanted to give her the certificate that said she'd earned four more chances, making nine total. He also wanted to let her know some good news. On friday president Mason was having a little ceremony at the white house. The point was to publicly thank some teenage Ark workers for their service. Eve was one of those invited, partly because her schedule allowed her to attend without missing any Ark shifts. Eve's father was picking her up tomorrow, they would go to Washington for the ceremony. Eve was overwhelmed and excited y this turn of events. Eve had a few hours until Jessie's shift ended. She walked around the site, it had really progressed since Eve first came here. From the outside it still looked like a mountain. But Eve could see some areas had completed construction, including rooms she'd helped build. When Jessie's shift ended they spent a few hours together. Eve told Jessie the good news, she'd be a guest at the white house. Theydecided to celebrate together. When Zack picked Eve up tomorrow Jessie couldn't be around, they had to say their goodbyes tonight. They went back to Jessie's room and made love one last time. Then they said their final goodbyes.

.

Jessie: I'll miss you Eve, take care.

Eve: I'll miss you too. Stay out of trouble.

Jessie: I'll try.

Eve: This might sound weird, coming from me. But have you ever given much thought to God, salvation?

Jessie: A little. I just try to do this, build the Ark, and do my best to stay out of trouble. Hope that's enough.

Eve: Well, hope you're right. Thak you for helping me through this. I'm forever grateful for all you've done.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

.

On Tuesday August 23rd Eve woke up around 8am. She knew her father would be picking her up in about two hours. Eve showered, changed her clothes, then had a final breakfast with Julia. She'd become the only roommate that Eve really bonded with. Eve gave Julia her last pack of ciggarettes, she was going to try and quit. Eve brushed her teeth, and packed her remaining clothes. Then Eve got a few of the cards sent by children from around the country. These cards might help inspire her to come back, at least that seemed to be what colonel Sadler was hoping for with this policy. As Eve walked out she saw captain Greer. Eve said goodbye, thanked the captain for everything. Eve waited near the parking lot for her dad. Jessie was hanging out near there. They couldn't talk or be seen together, but Eve was grateful to be able to see him one last time. Then Zack arrived alone. Eve hadn't wanted Karen here, but wished he had brought Cujo. Father and daughter were glad to see each other again after two months apart. As they drove to Washington they kept the windows down. Eve wanted to adjust to losing the mountain air again. She'd miss this place, but was glad to be going home again. Eve ended up sleeping for much of the car ride to Washington. She had the jitters of someone trying to quit smoking, it was painful, but she realized she'd brought it on herself. They arrived at the hotel in mid-afternoon. The plan was to do some sight-seeing the two days before the reception. But for today, Eve just wanted a little downtime of swimming and watching tv. It seemed like Zack was holding something back from Eve. He admitted that he needed to explain a few changes that had happenned to her highschool over the summer. But that could wait until they got home. Eve should just enjoy their little trip. She decided to take this advice. With the countdown getting smaller Eve had learned to savor the little moments. Whatever bad news might be coming, it could wait.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

.

Zack and Eve spent wednesday and thursday seeing the sights. They went to the Lincoln memorial, the air and space museum, Ford's theatre. They decided to hold off on the white house until the reception on friday afternoon. On thursday Eve also bought a new dress for the white house. She found one that was both modest and sexy. That night they ate dinner at a nice restaurant. At one point Zack went to use the restroom, and their waitress approached Eve, and spoke quietly.

.

Waitress: I heard you're going to meet president Mason tomorrow.

Eve: Yeah, it's really cool.

Waitress: My daughter worked on an Ark, but she got hurt. Now they might be excluding her from the lottery.

Eve: I don't think they'll completely cut her off.

Waitress: I have her information in this letter. Please, tell the presidnt. All she wants is the chances she's already earned. I have to go. Don't tell anyone that I did this.

.

That night, at the motel, Eve read the letter from the waitress. Her daughter, Kristen, was 18, had worked on an Ark since febuary. Kristen was injured in an accident, was currently in a wheelchair. According to her mother Kristen might be excluded from this Ark due to her disability. They wouldn't take people who couldn't take care of themselves. Eve thought about this. President Mason said that ten percent would be chosen for special skills, the other 90 percent would be chosen by lottery. Kristen didn't have special skills, but she'd earned more chances. Eve thought about Manny, she'd given money for his family, but his injury might keep him from earning more chances. Zack had advised Eve against reading this letter, maybe she should've listened. Worse were the pictures of Kriten, as a child, with her mother. The idea of this woman being excluded, for an injury caused while working on an Ark, sickened Eve. Then again, maybe Kristen's mother was exxagerating, just worried about her child. Either way, Eve would tell Mason about this tomorrow.


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

.

The reception was at noon, but Eve and Zack arrived a little after 11am. They were still setting things up, Eve talked with some of the other teenage volunteers. Some she recognized from Caseyville, others came from Virginia, Montana, Texas, Colorado. They'd worked in different Arks, but they were united in their common effort. This felt good, reminded Eve that she was a part of something greater than herself. Zoey Allen came with her recorder, started interviewing. Eve remembered those white house christmas videos that Zoey used to make, and post on youtube. Now she was making movies about Ark workers. To Eve's suprise Zoey actually remembered her. This small recognition, made Eve feel important, like she really matterred in the grand scheme of things. Shortly before 12 noon the reception was set up, they said the guests could eat. There were lunch-meat platters, the kind her parents sometimes had during parties. There were also many kinds of soda and juice. President Mason wasn't here. That wsn't suprising, everyone knew he was a busy man. Zoey filmed this event, she seemed to want to do this until the president arrived. His son Jed, came to see Zoey. They seemed to make a cute couple. It made sense, given the amount of time the first and second families spent together. Like Eisenhower's grandson marrying Nixon's daughter. President George Mason arrived here a little after 2pm. He seemed a bit out of breath, still regaining his strength. Still, he gave a brief speech thanking these young people for giving up part, or even all of, their summer vacation to help build these Arks. These teen workers were asked to form a line, so the president could shake all their hands individually. Eve was both scared and excited. She was about to shake hands with the most powerful man in the world. Then she remembered Kristen, Eve had the letter, she had to give it to the president. When it was Eve's turn she stutterred. She gave the letter, along with the pictures, to president Mason. Eve tried to tell Kristen's story, but feared she fumbled it. Mason seemed a bit awkward, but took the letter. He promised to look it over, and thanked Eve for having such concern for her fellow workers.


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

.

On Saturday August 27th Eve and her father began driving back home to New Jersey. Eve was still excited about having met the president of the united states. More than just shaking his hand, she might have actually influenced his decisions. Eve seemed to be on cloud 9. Zack decided to talk about certain things, while Eve was still in a good mood.

.

Zack: That old grocery store clerk, Ed, passed away. Heart attack.

Eve: That's a shame, he was a good guy. I know he seemed like a jerk sometimes, but the way those idiots treated him, can't say I blame him.

Zack: Principal Harris has been demoted to vice-principal. The schoolboard is bringing in someone new. They're becoming more strict about cutting classes, cheating on tests.

Eve: I'm done with all that nonsense, I swear.

Zack: Good. I doubt they'll count last year against you, too many students did all that. You should be fine as long as you don't do it again. Anyway, you know how Ravenwood is building private shelters?

Eve: Yeah, why?

Zack: I'd like to try and get you a spot in one of these shelters. You'll have a better chance if you work at the company before-hand. I was thinking, I can get you a part-time job as secretary. Would that be something that you'd be interested in?

Eve: Sure, I can do that. I'm good at typing, have a pleasant phone voice. I'm in.

Zack: Good. School starts in ten days but they'll work around your schedule.

Eve: Cool. Anything else I should know?

Zack: Nothing that can't wait.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

.

Eve and Zack arrived home around 3pm. They'd eaten lunch on the road and Eve assumed they'd just be having pizza or fast food for dinner. The Ravenwood orientation program was sometime next week. Nadia was also coming back and Eve looked forward to seeing him again. She didn't know if Adam was returning. His sentance was likely up, but Zack said he might stay in West Virginia working on an Ark. When they got home Karen was there, making dinner. They were evidently still together, this would definitely be awkward.

.

Karen: Hey Eve, it's good to see you again.

Eve: Yeah, it's good to be home. So, what's for dinner?

Karen: Meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I promise the meat's halal. You're still a muslim right?

Eve: Yeah, still pray towards Mecca.

Karen: So, did your dad tell you?

Eve: About school, or my new part-time job at Ravenwood?

Karen: I actually meant the other thing.

Eve: What other thing?

.

Eve saw the looks between her dad and Karen. It was clear he was suppossed to have told her something else. Then Eve noticed something she hadn't before, the ring on Karen's finger.

.

Eve: You guys are engaged?

Zack: Not exactly.

Karen: We're already married. Last month, we went to city hall.

Eve: Are you kidding me? You and I are in the same highschool, and aren't you still underage.

Karen: My parents signed the permission slips.

Eve: This is perverted. Dad, you've known Karen since she was eight. She cannot be my step-mother.

Zack: Noone is trying to replace your mother. Karen and I are trying to get through these next few years with as much happiness as we can.

Eve: Fine, take your comfort in this. I'd prefer Cujo.

.

The mention of her dog's name caused more looks from Zack and Karen. Eve then realized that she hadn't seen or heard Cujo since she got home.

.

Eve: Where is my dog?

Zack: He ran off, about three weeks ago. We haven't seen him since.

Eve: I need to call the Ark. He might've gone looking for me.

Zack: Eve I'm sorry. I think, he was old. Cujo knew he was dying, he didn't want you to see him like that.

.

Eve realized they were probably lying. They didn't want Cujo eating up what was about to become limited food supplies. It was almost certain that Cujo was gone forever.


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

.

Eve stormed out of the house after hearing the news. She searched the area, hoping that Cujo was hiding, waiting for her. Eve called for her dog. She was saddenned, he didn't come, but she hadn't really expected him to come. Eve started crying, Cujo had been like a big brother for a slong as she could remember. How could they just kill him like that? It was probably that bitch Karen, she didn't like dogs or anything from Kendall, so suddenly what Eve or Cujo wanted didn't matter. On the way home Eve stopped by Adam's house. She needed to see a familiar face, even his. But Adam's parents said he'd decided to remain in West Virginia, earn more chances. Eve wondered if Adam just wanted to stay away because he was ashamed of what he'd done to her. Eve had left Julia and Jessie for this. Her mother, Culo, and even Adam were gone. Her father hardly felt like her father anymore. Eve had never felt more alone.

.

Eve was angry with Karen and her dad, but she vowed not to fall back into bad habits. When she got home Karen offerred her dinner. Eve said "No thank you" as polite as she could. She went up to her room and ordered pizza with her own money. "Pizza time" was beginning to issue ration cards in compliance with new regulations, and partly because their supplies were becoming limited. Since Eve hadn't ordered from them in months she was okay. But she knew she'd have to accept food from Zack and Karen eventually. While waiting Eve read the Koran, she was looking for something about animals in Paradise. There was nothing in here about dogs in Heaven. One admittedly troubling part was that suicides were damned. If this was true, it was too late for Eve' mother. Eve tried watching tv, it showed a disney cartoon where Pluto is informed how bacon grease is used to help make materials for the Arks. Pluto then turns down Minnie's leftover grease and brings it to the local authorized butcher, choosing to be paid in sausages. Eve almost cried. When dinner came Eve turned on the television to the "Twilight zone" channel. Eve found this episode suprisingly inspiring A man and his dog die while hunting racoons. They then followed a fence which leads to a gate, suppossedly leading into Heaven. When the keeper said the dog wasn't allowed inside the man steamed off, refusing to leave his friend behind. These two soon found another gate, to the real Heaven. The othe rplace had been Hell, they tried to keep the dog out because he would've smelled the sulfer and warned his friend. Eve liked this episode. In a way the man got rewarded for his loyalty to his dog. His version of Heaven included square dances and racoon hunting. According to Rod Serling human Heaven was racoon Hell. This version mught not be in the Koran, but right now, Eve was pretty comfortable with this idea.


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

.

On Sunday August 28th Eve woke up, briefly forgetting what had happenned, then hoping it had been a nightmare. But, much like Febuary 5th, it had been real. Her Ravenwood orientation was tomorrow, Nadia was coming back Thursday, school started up again Septemer 6th. Today however, there was little for Eve to do with her day off. Eve went to her mosque for prayer. Some were collecting for assorted charities. Eve gave a few dollars, but knew it wasn't enough. Then Eve got a magazine. Normally this would be the time where they talked about upcoming television shows. Movies were still being made, but few tv shows. The only returning shows that she watched were her soap opera, which was only coming back for ten episodes this fall, and "the Simpsons", which was an American icon. The few new shows were dark, probably wouldn't have been made before 2/4. One involved the captain of a nuclear submarine threatening to nuke D.C. Another involved a serial killer who was also a devoted family man. And then there was the new show where a terrorist kidnaps a doctor's family to force her to kill the president. Eve couldn't understand how people could root for these "heroes." She also feared how much darker things might get before impact. That evening Eve ate the leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes, alone in her room. After she finished Karen asked if Eve wanted to join her outside for a ciggarette. Eve accepted, quitting would likely be harder with the countdown getting shorter, and she had the break the ice with Karen eventually. The next morning Eve woke up at 8am, orientation was at 11. She and Zack arrived with plenty of time to spare. There were some other people here for orientation, mostly young women. When this began they displayed their typing skills. Eve wasn't the best, but she was good. Then they were taught how to answer the phone, transfer calls. After this their instructor gave them a little tour of this building. They briefly saw mr Dole, the owner and founder of Ravenwood, walk into a meeting. Their guide told them not to speak to him, mr Dole was a busy man. Eve could understand why. Dole had been born with nothing, put himself through college, founded Ravenwood. Almost 70 now he'd been semi-retired before 2/4, now came out of retirement to help build shelters. Eve was grateful for this opportunity, she wasn't offended that Dole wasn't friendly or didn't have time to sit down and chat. By the end of orientation Eve's superiors made her weekly schedule. She would work mondays, wednesdays, and fridays, 4pm to 9pm with a 30 minute break at some point. She would also work saturdays 10am to 6pm, with an hour for lunch/dinner. Eve was suprised to be working on saturdys, but didn't complain. She would officially start on wednesday at which point she would do the best she could, try to prove herself for a Ravenwood spot. She would clearly have some competition, just had to do her best.


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

.

Tuesday August 30th was Eve's last day off before her new job. She went to the movies, the cashier was somewhat suprised that Eve bothered to pay. Eve wasn't sure if he recognized her. Either way most people just snuck inside these days. This outlaw movie involved a group of women wrongfully jailed who escape and have to rob a bank for money. On Wednesday August 31st Eve woke up early and wished her jo started earlier. She realized that when school started earlier. She realized that when school started next week she'd have to start her shifts later than this, but on her last week of summer vacation it was frustrating. Eve arrived at 3;30, nervously waited in the break room to clock on. Finally it was 3:55, Eve clocked on early. They assigned Eve to mr Sanchez's office and his other secretary left. Eve sat and waited for a phone call, or for mr Sanchez to dictate a memo to her. It was almost half an hour before her phone rang. When it finally rung she used her most pleasant voice and transferred the call to her boss. It became clear that this job would involve long periods of boredom. After school started this might be a good opportunity to do her homework. A little before 7pm they sent Eve on her break. Eve had a few candy bars and a soda from the vending machines, and a ciggarette to help her nervousness. Eve made certain to clock back on exactly 30 minutes after clocking off. After her break mr Sanchez asked Eve to type a letter for him. This seemed to be a proposal on construction costs for a nearby shelter. Eve barely understood a single word of this, but her boss liked her typing skills. Shortly before 9pm he gave Eve permission to leave. Eve waited in the breakroom for her father to finish and drive them oth home. She only waited about 20 minutes, but glad her first day was over, and she'd survived.


	73. Chapter 73

Cha[ter 73

.

On Thursday September 1st Eve was waiting at the airport for Nadia's plane. She'd been doing relief work in Sangala, her parents were doing something in Iran their plane was arriving in a few hours. When Nadia's plane arrived Eve was waiting. Eve was grateful to this woman for saving her life, introducing her to islam. Nadia and Eve hugged. then went to an airport restaurant for french fries and soda.

.

Eve: I'm so glad to see you. This place has been lonely without you.

Nadia: I'm glad to see you too. Please tell me you quit smoking.

Eve: I'm trying, it's harder than I thought. Anyway I started a new job. I'm a secretary at Ravenwood. I could probably put in a good word for you if you want.

Nadia: Sorry, I think I'll be busy. Have you heard of the obitoriums?

Eve: Yeah, they call themselves "mercy clinics." They perform abortions and now, assisted suicide.

Nadia: Correct. Allen signed it into law while acting president, but Mason supports this policy. Some from our mosque are working with some christian and jewish groups. Basically we'll be standing outside, try to persuade people not to commit these terrible sins.

Eve: Like what you did for me at Jack's party?

Nadia: Yes. Thurty people took their owns lives that night, three people changed their minds. Doing this, we might have even smaller success rate. Will you help me?

Eve: I'll help when I can. You saved my life, and my soul that night. It's only fair that I try to help others like that.

Nadia: Thank you my friend.

.

On Friday Eve and Nadia went to their mosque for early services, then Eve went to work. On Saturday she worked her first 8 hour shift. This job wasn't too bad. Eve's body had already adjusted to working a regular job, this was just a different job. It probably wasn't a bad idea to have another skill set, especially when government agents were determining which people to take on the Arks. On Sunday Eve and Nadia went to a picnic at Eve's old church. Father Mcnamara was hosting this event. He also used this opportunity to coordinate the multiple groups. At the picnic they ran into Benson, one of the boys that Nadia saved that fateful night. He was grateful to Nadia, and tried to help her. Since then Benson had become a born-again christian, believed that it was the only way into Heaven. Benson realized that, according to this logic, he would've been sent to Hell if he'd committed suicide. It also meant that Nadia and Eve would be sent to Hell if they remained muslims. Thus Benson tried to convince them that they should become "saved." Nadia seemed just as convinced that islam was the true way, and tried to convince Benson to become a muslim. She realized she had given him some time, but it might be for nothing if he continued to blasphem the prophet Jesus by calling him a god. Later Eve went with father Mcnamara and a small group. Syed Ali, who was fast becoming the un-official imam of their mosque, seemed to be their group's representative. These two leaders briefed their teams on what to do. They were to stand outside the mercy clinics, speak politely, try to dissuade people from entering the clinics. Do not physically stop, don't threaten anyone. Father Mcnamara gave them a list of clinics to target like this. Syed Ali asked about another one, but was told it was "one of theirs." Eve asked what that meant. That particular clinic was fake, once people entered the doctors would attempt to talk them down. Eve understood why people would want to die, why they wouldn't want to bring a child into this world. It wasn't death, or even ELE, that people feared. It was after impact, the freezing cold, starvation, people killing each other for the last remaining food. These were the things that truley frightened Eve, and not just her. But Nadia's strength showed Eve the way. As bad as this world might becomem it was temporary, Hell was permanent. Nadia risked her life to save the souls of strangers. Eve felt it was now her duty to do the same for others.


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

.

Monday September 5th was Eve's final day of summer vacation, and she spent the second half of it working at Ravenwood. Before that she went to the movies. At Ravenwood Eve typed what she was given, answered calls when they came, but spent much of her shift reading the Koran. After work Eve went home. watched a little tv before bed. Eve was nervous about starting school again tomorrow. This year would be busier than usual. Between school, Ravenwood, and apparently becoming a sidewalk counselor, she'd have very little time for herself. Then again, with 1049 days until impact, these weren't bad ways to keep her mind occupied. Eve's mom used to make her a big breakfast for the first day of school. Tuesday morning Eve woke up and ate cereal and donuts. She walked to her school and was told to go to assembly. Vice-principal Harris was there, as was the new principal, ms Bauer. Principal Bauer made a speech, and introduced herself.

.

Bauer: Hello, I'm your new principal. I understand last year this school became somewhat lax in it's enforcement of its policy regarding attendance and open-book tests. You will now e given guides to help you study for exams, that is all. Anyone with an un-excused absence will be given detention. Ten such absences will result in expulsion. Vandalism, grafitti, violence against fellow students and/or faculty members will result in suspension, or expulsion. That is the bad news. The good news is that you all start this year with a clean slate. If you cut or vandalized last year, that no longer matters. The past is prologue, the future is what matters now. You may have noticed we now have metal detectors and security guards to ensure that you have a violence-free school environment. The ciriculum has also changed somewhat. Your classes will include agriculture, technology, introduction to medicine. It is our job to adequately prepare you for the future. I admit that some of your previous classes seemed obsolete, given the times. That will change immediately. I have faith that you can adapt. Many of your peers have chosen not to come back here. They've become drug-addicts, gotten involved in illegal enterprises, even committed suicide. But you've returned. You're willing to put in the work to ensure your future. We will help prepare you for that future.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

.

Over the next few days Eve adjusted to her school's new rules. Metal detectors, security guards in the halls, definitely took some getting used to. But then she hadn't done well when the old ruled weren't enforced. And with prisoners being released, mental institutions shutting down, and people getting angrier, there was a noticable increase in violent crime. School should feel safe. Some objected, feeling it was corporate profits ahead of students' civil liberties, but for now Eve was okay with this. The actual classes would've seemed unusual eight months ago. But learning to grow food, make medicine, these were skills Eve should know if she were allowed into an Ark. After school on Tuesday Eve went home, wanted some downtime. She went to school Wednesday, then went to work at Ravenwood. There was no homework yet so she just read the Koran while working. After school on Thursday there weren't any tests the next day so Eve joined Nadia at the clinic. More than twenty people went in, mainly young women for abortions. When they came out, it seemed clear they had gone through with it. Two people didn't come out at all. Eve became discouraged. Nadia told her to stay strong. If they could stop one person it would be worth it. Security was here to prevent these protestors from standing too close to the building. Eve had no desire to get too close to this building. In the back of her mind she feared being taken in by mistake. On Friday Eve worked at Ravenwood, and collected her first paycheck from the company. This wasn't much, but was okay for someone with few responsibilities. She still had some money leftover from working on the Ark. When Eve went home she noticed the weather was still warm. A nice summer night. She'd liked these, even when they coincided with the beginning of the school year. Eve had learned to savor these tiny moments. On Sunday Eve and Nadia returned to the clinic. Eve was suprised that they were open on Sunday, but she would continue this work. They were joined by some people from the local church. They likely felt they were doing God's work on their sabbath, which the clinic personel seemed to ignore. It didn't seem disimilar to Eve working at Ravenwood on Friday, believing she was helping to save lives. The Koran said that helping others, charity, was a form of prayer, even if the individual wasn't at an a official mosque. On Sunday a number of scared young girls went inside. They didn't seem sure that their decision was right, but they still went inside. An elderly couple walked towards the clinic. Nadia talked to them, tried to convince them that suicide wasn't the answer. Eve began telling them her story. Three months ago she put a gun to her head, ready to end it all. But Nadia convinced her that this life, bad as it was, is still better than Hell. The couple wondered, what if suicide got them sent to Hell? They decided not to risk it. For now at least, they walked away from the clinic.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

.

On Monday Eve and Nadia returned to school like normal. They couldn't hide their excitement from the previous day. They'd helped save two lives, possibly those two souls. Eve wished she could go back today, but she had a shift at Ravenwood. During lunch a student named Jenny went up to Eve, asked for her autograph. Eve assumed she was joking, but Jenny was serious. It seemed these was a youtube video, starring Eve. Jenny started to access this on her smart-phone. Eve was nervous, some youtube videos were known to be humiliating to their subject. She wondered what this could be about, perhaps her and Jessie? But this was a recent newsreel. The narrator talked about workers on the Arks. It showed a clip of Eve saying it was her patriotic and religious duty to help with this. The narrator then talked about the attempt on president Mason's life. Finally the footage showed the workers continuing their functions in the immediate aftermath, Eve and other workers with their sad faces. Eve actually recognized some workers in the footage from the reception at the white house. The newsreel concluded with footage from that reception. Eve had almost forgotten about Zoey Allen interviewing her, getting the footage, she certainly never thought she'd be one of the main subjects of a newsreel. Eve figured this fame would be brief, but it was fun, she signed Jenny's autograph.

.

Eve's second week of her sophmore year involved more work than her first week. When they'd explained the outline of these courses it seemed overwhelming, she figured she couldn't possibly learn all this in a year. But this week, Eve slowly began learning. Her job at Ravenwood allowed her time to study. She'd originally requested off on Thursdays so she could study for Friday tests. But this was becoming un-neccessary. Eve's schedule had numerous commitments. School, Ravenwood, and her new job as sidewalk counselor. Eve did that last one on Sundays and Tuesdays. This schedule left Eve with little downtime, but it helped her with ELE related anxiety. And these days Eve didn't want to spend too much time at home. It hardly felt like home with Karen sleeping where Eve's mother once slept. Eve partly blamed Karen, and herself, for Kendall's suicide. If Karen started acting like her mother, Eve truley felt that she would murder Karen.


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

.

On Saturday September 17th Eve was working her shift at Ravenwood. Someone had a portable tv turned to CNN. Eve could've done without the reminder that the countdown stood at 1032 days. The anchor was talking about the situation between Israel and Pakistan. The Arks that they'd been working on together would be complete within a few months. The problem was that these shelters wouldn't be enough for the entire population of either nation. There was talk that Pakistan might prevent Israelies from going into the Arks, to make more room for Pakistanies. Israel might attack, and exclude Pakistanies to make room for more Israelies. Eve now found herself listening to the news, fearing what the conflict could lead to. Innocent people killed on both sides, America dragged into a war between two of its allies, possible destruction of functioning Arks. This potential war would have no good outcome. Although Eve didn't hear much of the news, her mind kept coming back to it. After work Eve tried to watch some tv. She caught the old sitcom with a very young Nikki Calendar. On Sunday Eve went to her mosque for early prayer services. Then she went to the mercy clinic, she and her group tried to help those who wanted death. One young woman, maybe a year older than Eve, was unsure whether to have an abortion. They gave her some information about places that could help her if she had her child. She went home and promised to at least consider her options. Eve knew she should be happy about this. She'd helped save an innocent life, possibly the soul of the mother. But her mind kept coming back to the news. In the immediate aftermath of 2/4 it had seemed like the whole world was coming together in a common purpose. But now, both Israeli and Pakistani leaders felt they had an obligation to their own people's, to the exclusion of their recent allies. This made Eve wonder about some of the other alliances. The Bawa and Askari groups in Sangala. The fascist and communist groups in Columbia. America and China. Perhaps it had been naive to assume that people would just naturally work together and get along on this. There would likely be fighting over the shelters. Where it would lead, only God himself could say.


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

.

On Monday September 19th Eve was working her shift. She heard mr Sanchez on the phone with mr Dole. Dole seemed to be on one of his rants, and Sanchez either agreed completely, or was going along with the boss. Eve knew that mr Dole was old school, seemed to believe that any form of forced rationing was socialism or communism. He firmly believed in the system that allowed the indivudual to prosper, as he had, and seemed to want to protect the capitalist system. Mr Dole seemed at times to look down on people, figuring it was their own fault for being poor. He felt that social programs created a "lazy discontent rabbel instead of a thrifty working class." Dole and Sanhez were talking about the upoming governor election in New Jersey. From what Eve could gather the incumbent supported Mason's policies. The challenger, wanted to end the rationing as quickly as possible. The challenger also claimed to be "tough on crime." A part of Eve was still inspired by those sheriffs who refused to evict people, but she said nothing to mr Dole about her feelings. Noone could deny there had been an increase in theft, abuse, rape, even murder, since 2/4. Some figured all that could happen would be forced to work on the Arks, which meant more chances. Although rape had increased, so had false accussations of rape. Some female Ark workers were believed to make false accussations against others to take away their chances, and increase their own. When Eve had served on the jury, that thought had occurred to her. Some were resorting to extreme measures against criminals, turning to vigilantism, violently assaulting criminals. Some vigilanties even wore Batman masks while doing this. This caused Eve to reconsider Batman, America's most revered violence-prone vigilantie. Mr Dole joked that if he were a few decades younger, he might be jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Neither candidate for governor officially endorsed these vigilanties, but said they understood their frustration. At Eve's mosque they had a ritual. The imam would introduce a person, say they just got out of prison, and ask the congregation to welcome them back to Allah's house. Eve preferred this to armed vigilanties.


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

.

On Tuesday Eve was walking to class. She saw a senior girl named Amy carrying books to her own class. They would've overlooked each other, until Eve saw something. Another student just stuck her arms out and knocked the books from Amy's hand. As Amy picked up her books Eve went to help her. She saw some dirty looks directed at them both, which she tried to ignore.

.

Eve: You okay?

Amy: I'm fine. Sure you want to be seen helping me?

Eve: Yeah. Why'd they do that?

Amy: Because I'm a free thinker, and they don't seem to like my politics.

Eve: That doesn't give them the right to bully you. What are your politics anyway?

Amy: How about we discuss that after school. I owe you a ciggarette for helping me.

Eve: Okay, sounds like a plan.

.

After helping Amy Eve noticed people giving her dirty looks, whispering behind her back. Fortunately Nadia stood by Eve's side, regardless of who else was her friend. Eve didn't understad why people were picking on Amy. She heard people call Amy a nazi, but Eve wanted to give Nadia a chance to explain herself. After school Eve introduced Nadia and Amy. They were nice to each other, but Eve thought things seemed awkward. After this Nadia went to the clinic, Amy and Eve went to talk.

.

Amy: I hope I didn't make her uncomfortable.

Eve: It's cool. She usually stands away when I smoke. So, why are they calling you a nazi?

Amy: I have no love for Hitler or the swastika. Some idiots just use that term for anyone who disagrees with them. What I am is a Daughter of Liberty.

Eve: Like the Sons of Liberty? Isn't that a militia?

Amy: We're not planning to overthrow the government. We just don't like some of the president's recent decisions.

Eve: I've met the president. He seems like a good man. Trying to do what he has to do to keep our country alive.

Amy: I'm not saying he's evil for the sake of evil. Voltaire said "A tyrant will devote himself fully to any god, religious or otherwise that allows him to tyranize." My friends, we believe in freedom more than Mason does.

Eve: What do you disagree with him on?

Amy: Mainly the private shelters. George Mason has every right to decide who goes into the government shelters. But private companies like Ravenwood are building shelters. There's talk that the state might try to sieze these private shelters.

Eve: I've heard that, but noone's talked about it in a few months.

Amy: The state is figuring out which private shelters would work, and which ones won't. They'll sieze the working ones but won't waste their resources siezing Arks that won't work. Our group also disagrees with Mason on food rationing and gun control. With an increase in violent crime citizens have the right to protect themselves.

Eve: I admit I don't agree with Mason's pro-choice policy on abortion or euthanasia.

Amy: Actually, as a young libertarian, I believe a person has the right to do what they want with their own bodies. I have to give Mason credit on those things.

Eve: I guess we don't agree on much politics. But I still say that doesn't give those jerks the right to pick on you.

Amy: Thanks, I appreciate your friendship.

Eve: Thanks, I'm glad to be your friend too.


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

.

Eve thought about what Amy had said. She was well aware that if the state siezed Ravenwood shelters, she'd be much less likely to gain access. At her job people had some bad things to say about the president, but Eve thought they were just bitter and scared. Mason's food rationing could be annoying, the same food of less quality on conseutive days, harder to obtain lipstickor even shampoo at times. But there was always enough food and clean soap. At work Wednesday Eve did some research on president Mason. It turned out that the original George Mason was considered a founding father. This man had been a diplomat during the American revolution. He'd originally refused to sign the constitution because it did not have a formal declaration of individual rights, which was why he was instrumental in helping to create the Bill of rights. Although George Mason was a slaveowner he helped create legislation that would eventually abolish the slave trade. George Mason died in 1792, during the administration of his friend George Washington, America's first president. It might've seemed incomprehensible to him that his descendent would become the last president of the country he helped create. The current president was born in 1980. Although his family was wealthy from iron he enrolled at West Point military academy. Graduating with the class of 2002 he was sent to Afghanistan. Mason served honorably when he was captured and tortured by insurgents. After escaping he was given a medical dis-charge. Involved with veteras groups Mason fell in love with Sharon, a lawyer witht he prosecutor's office. They married and had their first child, Mimi, in a little over a year. In 2010 he was approached by the Democratic party to run for congress. It seemed likely that the Republicans would take control of congress and they wanted to minimize their losses. Mason slowly rose to prominence, eventually running for the presidency. Eve wondered, at what point did Mason learn about ELE? When in congress Mason had been a bigger supporter of the 2nd amendment, less of abortion or euthanasia rights. That changed when he became president. Perhaps he wanted to minimize those who'd be killed by ELE, and prevent people from taking the Arks by force. Congress passed the acts. In 2030 Mason had campaigned for a number of challengers to congress, both republican and democrat. At the time it seemed he was askewing petty party politics to put the best and brightest in congress. Now, it seemed like they owed him big. Those who'd won all seemed to support his agenda. The supreme court upheld the constitutionality of the actions taken by Mason since 2/4. But then Mason appointed five of these nine justices in his first term. Not since George Washington had a president appointed that many supreme court justices in one term. Eve didn't believe all the radical conspiracy theories, but Amy made her wonder.


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

.

Eve liked Nadia, and Amy. But these two seemed awkward around each other. They didn't agree on much on politics or religion. On Friday September 23rd these three girls ate lunch together. Eve hoped they could all get along.

.

Amy: So Eve, Nadia got you to become muslim.

Eve: Yeah, she saved my life. I did some stupid things after my mom died. Truth is, I almost killed myself. Nadia risked her life to save me.

Nadia: I'm just glad Eve changed her mind, most didn't, and I moun for them.

Eve: That's why I began attending mosque, and why I work as a sidewalk counselor. If Allah didn't send Nadia there, I'd be in Hell right now.

Amy: How do you figure you'd be in Hell?

Nadia: Suicides are damned.

Amy: No offense, but it seems like the height of arrogance to think we know the will of God.

Nadia: I agree. Fortunately God gave us his plans in the Koran.

Amy: Assuming that was actually written by God.

Nadia: And what are your religious beliefs?

Amy: I believe in God, not religion. I figure God is forgiving of those who do certain things.

Eve: Including suicide?

Amy: With ELE only 1031 days away, yeah probably.

Nadia: It sounds like you're trying to substitute your desires for Allah's will.

Eve: Maybe she is. But my mother killed herself. I like to think that Allah forgave her. But I will also continue to help others. In case I'm wrong, I want to help others the way Nadia helped me.

.

Over the next week Eve stuck to her busy schedule. She went to school, worked at Ravenwood,acted as sidewalk counselor. She savored those last days of late summer. She knew that if ELE hit the next ice age would come, making people look back on these days with sweet fondness. Eve also tried to remain friends with both Amy and Nadia. They clearly couldn't be in the same room with each other, but Eve liked both of them. Nadia helped lead her away from suicide, saved her from Hell. Now, Eve saw some of the other secretaries did on the internet. Websites where married people could hook up up with other married people. The woman who ran this site, Janice, had married her boyfriend at 16 because she was pregnant. He abused her, she had an affair and ran off with her new lover, bringing her daughter with her. That actually seemed somewhat romantic, except she had a child with another man while married to her second husband. Janice said she and her husband accepter each other's faults. The pornagrapher Ricky Jenkins had claimed to be "selling smut for God" but soon returned to secular filth. Shortly after that he'd been murdered, probably by a religious or secular fanatic, the police hadn't yet solved his murder. Eve feared that without Nadia's help she might've fallen into this sin, or worse. But Eve still sinned. She feared Nadia was silently judging her for smoking or not spending more time at the clinic. But perhap it wasn't Nadia judging her, just her own guilt. And Eve liked Amy's ideas too. She hoped that God might forgive Kendall for ending it all. But a part of Eve feared that Amy's free-spirited ways might get her sent to Hell. After talking to both Nadia and Amy it became clear to Eve how little she was certain of.


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

.

On Friday September 30th Eve heard a disturbing rumor at school. Much of the food supplies going to her local supermarket were hi-jacked. Rumors of food shortages had become common since 2/4, but never in this area. Some said the president was hoarding suppliees for the Arks. Others felt hi-jackers were stealing food from one area for their own region. The mandatory food rationing was suppossed to make sure everyone had enough to eat. That part might've backfired. Conspiracy theorists believed it was an experiment. To learn the answer to the question "Could people survive on coniderably less food for a temporary time period." Eve feared she would have to find out very soon. Eve went to Ravenwood after school for her normal shift. According to her father Karen was picking up groceries. Eve wasn't sure if this qualified as an excused asence from school for Karen or not. After work Zack brought Eve home and they all had a family meeting. He explained how much food they had to last until they could buy more. It was clearly less than they normally had to last an entire week, but it would have to suffice. Zack divided all the smaller food, said how much each person could have. Although physically the biggest Zack had the least amount. The food for family meals like rice and potatoes, they'd just have to make it last. They'd all have to make soapand shampoo last longer. Zack promised to quit smoking and hoped the girls would take this opportunity to do the same. This would be difficult, but he seemed confident that they could get through this together asa family. Over this first weekend Eve tried to adjust to less. She woke up early Saturday, Karen was already taking her shower. When Eve took hers she thought Karen had taken more than her fair share of shampoo, but tried to avoid her paranoia. Eve took a brown bag of lunch for her shift at Ravenwood, but kept quiet about it. She feared others might resent her having this, and buying at the cafeteria. After work Zack and Eve went home, Karen made rice and mashed potatoes. The food wasn't bad. Eve wanted more, but didn't ask for fear of being seen an rude. That night, Eve watched her soap opera. The cliff-hanger ended with the shooter being revealed. She was shocked it turned out to be the man's ex-wife, yet they seemed to still getting closer. Why the audience would want them together after that, Eve didn't know. On Sunday October 2nd Eve went to the clinic. She hoped father Mcnamara would have extra for these counselors. He had some doughnuts, but asked them not to take too many. A boy from Eve's mosque, Yusef, gave her his doughnut. Father Mcnamara hoped to use this food to talk with the people going into the clinic. The laws required a one week "cooling down period" between when they made the appointment, and when the abortion or suicide could be done. Delaying them allowed some to change their minds. The food offers did delay these people, but they all went into the mercy clinic eventually. Eve understood, she couldn't properly explain why they should go on with life, or bring a new life here, when starvation seemed so real. It became clear that unless food was more plentiful, these sins would increase.


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

.

When Eve returned to school on Monday she'd adjusted somewhat to less food, but she still felt hungry. Her religion taught her how to control her anger, but Eve still feared an outburst. At lunchtime Jenny approached Eve. Eve wasn't sure what this was about, but Jenny got straight to the point.

.

Jenny: This food shortage sucks, right?

Eve: I've had better days.

Jenny: There is one way to get extra food, even during shortages.

Eve: I know, but islam frowns upon cannibalism.

Jenny: Funny. Bigger rations are given to pregnant women and nursing mothers.

Eve: So, you want to get pregnant for more food?

Jenny: Not just that. If you have a baby before 2036 you and your baby get entered into the lottert as a whole. That means at least one more chance for each of you. Anyway, you're welome to join us.

Eve: "Us?" Who else is involved in this pregnancy pact?

Jenny: Aside from me, Mena, possibly your step-mother Karen. Hopefully I can bring others.

Eve: I don't even have a boyfriend.

Jenny: You don't need one. You can have a steady boyfriend if you want. I plan to be with as many guys as I can. Increase my odds of getting pregnant.

Eve: And those boys you sleep with, what happens to them later? Let's say you have a baby, you and the baby are both accepted into an Ark. What about those boys you were with?

Jenny: Hopefully, the father would be accepted as well.

Eve: And all the ones who aren't the father, they're just screwed?

Jenny: This could be my only chance to have a baby, to be a mother.

Eve: Yeah, but the odds aren't great that either of you will be chosen. You might have this baby, only for it to freeze or starve to death in a few years. What if the baby is chosen and you aren't? What if you're accepted and the baby isn't?

Jenny: I don't know.

Eve: Truth is, neither do I. I can't decide what you should do, only you can decide that. But me, I know I'm not ready for that.


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

.

On Sunday October 2nd pope Peter II symbolically released a white dove. Sadly, this photo-op went wrong when this dove was attacked by a black crow and a white seagull. Some saw this as a dark foreshadowing of the death of peace. Others chose to see it as a white seagull and a black crow working together. Over the next week at Eve heard reports at Ravenwood that didn't bode well. Extremists were attempting to sieze power in Saudi Arabia. These fundamentalists had some power in this government for awhile now. There had been reforms over the last decade. Free elections, rights for women, protections for religious and ethnic minorities. Now, those reforms were in danger. There were rumors of the royal family's excesses. One princess was rumored to bathe in milk, the king was believed to have his lunches flown in from Paris, all while their own people were starving all around them. In the minds of many Saudi citizens, these excesses became linked to secular reforms. Thus conservative clerics came to have a populist message. Certain radical clerics said this was ultimately a holy war between christianity and islam. America had a deal with the current Saudi government. Shelters were built in both countries with American technology and Saudi oil. If these clerics siezed the shelters it could derail the population for either country. These fundamentalists, and preachers like Walker, seemed to enjoy stirring up violence between christians and muslims. But these guys weren't nearly as frightening as one preacher, known only as "Samuel", suspected of calling for the direct murder of children. Samuel claimed that the Arks would lead to evil, the corrupting of innocent children. He claimed it was best to kill the children now, save them from eternal damnation. With barely 1,000 days untilimpact, this world was becoming very scary. The first week of the new food rationing was difficult for Eve. This wasn't suppossed to last more than another two weeks at most. Than she'd be able to buy more food. But even then everyone would have less than normal. This hunger was starting to show at school. Combined with developments in Saudi Arabia resulted in some tension between the christian and muslim students. The guards were there to prevent any fights, but the tension was still there. Amy promised Eve she'd stand with her if trouble started. Rumor was coach Miller, their physical education teacher, was organizing fights between them. He seemed to feel that small controlled fights could prevent greater violence. This wasn't encouraging to Eve. When the schoolyear began less than half those who were suppossed to return actually came. Between Ark volunteers, teen parents, or those who completely gave up, school didn't seem important. Eve still found school comforting, her only sense of normal these days. A part of her wondered if she was being evaluated. She didn't consider herself a conspiracy theorist, but she wondered. Surviving on less food, remaining in school to learn important skills. Eve hoped her chances of getting into the Arks were good.


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85

.

Zoey Allen had her own blog. Eve watched it sometimes, there weren't a lot of new tv shows on anymore. This was how Eve knew that president Mason sufferred from sleep-depravation. It made sense, president's had a lot to worry about, this one more than most. Although Zoey wasn't 17 yet, she admitted to using drugs. She even gave a recipe for "pot-brownies." Zoey advocated teens use drug kits, so they would know what they were taking. Apparently the white house's policy had gone from "Just say no" to, "Use drugs but take precautions." Zoey also advised young girls to always watch their drinks at parties, try to keep your hands over cups. This seemed like good advise. On Friday October 7th Zoey gave an interview in which she made a shocking announcement. Zoey was pregnant, but planned to have an abortion. Zoey said she did not want to bring a child into this world right now. She also said that many women were choosing this, she didn't want them to feel alone. In Eve's experienceas sidewalk counselor most women seeking abortions didn't want to think of it as a "baby." Zoey however aknowledged that she was carrying a child, that she loved. But Zoey seemed to feel this was best for the baby. This created an immediate controversy. Many sent her messages saying she shouldn't do this. Some even offerred her help with the baby if she had it. Pope Peter II issued a statement saying all should pray for both Zoey and her un-born child. But none of this worked. For better or worse Zoey Allen had the abortion on October 8th.


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86

.

Eve obeyed her father's rules about not eating more food than she was rationed. It was hard, not eating when she was hungry, but bareable at first. But the food supply was dwindling quicker than expected. She might not be great at keeping track of these things, but clearly someone was eating some of her food. Eve tried not to be paranoid, not blame her father or Karen, she still had enough to survive, for now. It was 1014 days until impact, she could last until then. But she had learned not to let her bagged lunch out of sight at school or Ravenwood. On Monday October 10th something happenned that changed Eve's perspective on that. She merely went to the ladies room between second and third periods. Suddenly Eve was mugged, two girls just held her, took her lunch, and ran off. Eve didn't remember the girl's names, but recognized them from school. Eve reported this to principal Bauer, who promised to look into this incident. Since this food shortage muggings had beome common. Most often christian and muslim students stole from each other. Surviving on less food was possible, but not if others stole what little she had. Eve had heard rumors that her friend RJ was involved in black-market activities. He'd obtained more food and the like than he was suppossed to have, and he sold it to others for a profit. It was illegal, but perhapshe could help her, more importantly, provide her with protection from muggings like this. After her mugging Eve seriously considered working for RJ. Eve didn't want her decision to be rushed. She decided to wait one day before approaching RJ. Eve went to her remaining classes, worked her shift at Ravenwood. The next morning Eve ate the breakfast that Karen made for her, and knew it was lessthan it was suppossed to be. That was the last straw. Before school on Tuesday Eve went to see RJ.

.

Eve: Hey RJ. I need your help.

RJ: No problem. If you need food, I can even give you a discount.

Eve: I need more than that. People steal from me, not just in school. I'm pretty sure my step-mother takes my food at home.

RJ: I can sell you food, you could eat it before you go home.

Eve: Can you give protection for your employees.

RJ: They're not my employees. I work for people, they have other employees. But to answer your question, yes. They can give protection. Even starving employees don't mess with them.

Eve: What would I have to do?

RJ: You'd be a foot-soldier. We give you contraband, you sell it. You can buy some of it for yourself if you want. But at the end of the week they expect either the goods back, or cash for it. You work at Ravenwood today?

Eve: No.

RJ: Okay. I'll explain it to you in more detail after school. The you can decide for yourself if you still want the job.

Eve: Sounds fair.


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87

.

After school RJ took Eve to his house where he showed her his supply. Candy, soda, chips, shampoo, soap, make-up, perfume, lipstick, ciggarettes. Eve started drooling, RJ gave her a candy bar and a soda free of charge. He was probably trying to tempt her, but she liked it, the plan was working. It would be up to Eve's discretion which items to take, who to sell it to, it just had to be accounted for. Eve figured she could give people little pleasures to help them get through these hard times. RJ also sold liquor and sleeping pills, Eve avoided those. She could take what she wanted for herself, just had to be sure to pay these guys from her own salary. RJ even gave Eve a new backpack to keep the new contraband in. He offerred Eve a specific salary and they shook on it. And so, on October 11th Eve officially became a black-market footsoldier.

.

When Eve returned home on Tuesday evening she told Karen about her arrangement with RJ and his superiors. Eve never directly accussed Karen of stealing from her, but the implication was clear. At school on Wednesday Eve was wearing the colors that RJ gave her. A few students asked to buy shampoo and/or food. Eve sold it to them quietly, trying to avoid the security guards seeing this. RJ said most of them were on their payroll, but why tempt fate? At Ravenwood Eve kept her new backpack. Mr Mendez seemed suprised, but not angry, by this. Eve gave hi a complimentary soda and put her own cash in the side of the compartment. Only a few people here bought these things from Eve today. On Thursday Eve went to school and made a few sales. She still hadn't made enough sales to clean out this inventory, she feared what this might mean to her new bosses. RJ hadn't said who his employers were specifically, but he seemed somewhat afraid of them. On Friday after school Eve was suppossed to meet RJ before heading to work. A part of her wondered if she should avoid him, but decided that it would be worse if they thought she was stealing from them. RJ checked Eve's bag, the cash and receipts. It all added up. RJ said Eve could return this inventory, keep selling it, or even get some more to sell. He didn't seem at all angry that there was so much left. Eve was new, but honest. Eve decided to keep selling, maybe she'd pick up some more stuff over the weekend. This job might not be so bad after all.


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88

.

Eve tried to sleep late on Sunday October 16th. This was more difficult than she'd expected. Her body was becoming used to getting up early, and this was her only day to sleep in. She had quite a few responsibilities, school, Ravenwood, side-walk counselor, and black-market footsoldier while doing these other jobs. The first week was an adjustment. Typically people just went up to Eve, said what they wanted, Eve sold it to them if she had it. Eve got more customers the second week as she became better known. Although Eve ate better and got to enjoy shampoo, she felt somewhat guilty. Nadia didn't neccessarily judge Eve's choices, but didn't partake herself. This was difficult for Eve. Although the food shortage ended there was still tensions between christian and muslim students. The situation in Saudi Arabia, and reverand Walker only helped fuel these flames of hatred. Both groups tended to stick with each other more than usual. It hurt Eve that Nadia dissaproved of her activities. While grateful to Nadia for everything, Eve found herself drawn more to Amy. Amy said that the Sons of Liberty were running a candidate for congress in next year's mid-term elections. Eve should come hear what this guy had to say. Eve declined, at least for the moment.

.

On Sunday October 23rd RJ hosted a barbeque at his mother's place. The main purpose was t watch game seven of the world series, Chicago cubs against New York Yankees. There were secondary purposes as well. RJ wanted this as a show of power, to keep people knowing who had resources. Police officers were invited, this made them happy enough to let RJ continue his business. And with police stations closing, or not being open past 8pm, hour response times, RJ needed some cops on his side. This party was also a good way to keep track of his employees during their off-hours. And providing them with free food and drink made them hungry to do more work for the boss. RJ said he didn't have employees himself, but he clearly had some power in the organisation. Eve was happy to be here, one of the perks of being involved in the black market. Tomorrow there was a week-long conference at Ravenwood. They needed all hands on deck. Zack was taking Eve out of school for the week so she could work here. It was important, Dole was negotiating details with oil tycoons for fuel for Ravenwood shelters. This barbeque was neccessary, a good way to have fun before the conference. But like most things these days the barbeque was related to survival. These were a holdover from the end of the last ice age. The whole tribe worked together to hunt. Those who worked well with others survived longer, produced more offspring. Their genes survived, eventually resulting in these barbeques. With ELE coming, humans might have to learn to hunt together again. Eve enjoyed wathing the game, but feared it could be the last world series game ever. It was held at Wrigley field, the oldest baseball stadium still standing. Going into the bottom of the 9th the score was tied 2-2. The cubs had a man on third, and only one out. The batter swung away, and the yankee outfielder caught it, the second out. But this allowed the man on third to steal home. With one sacrifice fly the cubs won their first world series championship in over a century. Eve joked that that the world must really be ending if the cubs had really won the world series. She was only half joking.


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89

.

The Ravenwood conference began on Monday October 24th. Eve preferred to think they wanted her this week because she was a good secretary. It soon became clear that there were other motives. Some of these tycoons were muslims. Prince Tarik of Saudi Arabia, princess Fatima of Jordan. Perhaps mr Dole thought they would be more comfortable with a muslim secretary. There was also an old Texan called "Colby." Colby seemed nice, shook everyone's hand, always smiled. Rumor was Colby and Dole went to college together. During this conference things got dirty. The janitor and cleaning crew went on strike. They didn't like the idea of working for the company ,and not being included in the shelters. They striked, asking for more chances. Their theory was that the conference was a good time to demand this, figuring that Dole would have to give in to avoid the appearance of chaos in front of the suppliers of fuel. When Dole called their bluff the trash began piling up. Eve decided to take the trash to the dumpster herself. This was partly because Eve didn't want to work in too dirty an environment. The other part was Eve showing initiative, wanting to shpw she could do multiple functions when necessary. This minor cleaning, in addition to her secretarial duties and providing the guests with anything they asked for, within reason, this would probably increase Eve's chances. One morning Eve came to work and the trash cans were full. She began collecting the trash for the dumpster and Colby began helping her. Colby said that as a Texan he was raised to be nice to women. And if a job needed doing, just do it. He seemed to respect Eve's initiative as well. Eve didn't understand half the things discussed at the conference. But the short version seemed to be everyone was trying to get more of their ow people into the shelters. They were negotiating specific numbers. Tarik wanted more Saudi citizens, Fatima wanted more Jordanians, Coly wanted more Texans. Each group would have to determine for themselves how to make the painful cuts. The fears were that president Mason would sieze Ravenwood shelters. The OPEC people didn't want to give up their oil and have the shelters taken by the government. Similarly, Colby and Dole were worried about the developments in Saudi Arabia and Jordan. If the religious fundamentalists siezed those shelters, they might not want to let Americans on their shelters. Tarik and Fatima seemed willing to negotiate with Mason, if they could get their own citizens on the shelters. Dole and Colby would be willing to negotiate with new regimes, provided they honored the agreements. And Dole seemed confident he would keep the Ravenwood shelters, even if he had to defend them by force.


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

.

During the week of the Ravenwood conference Eve almost forgot about the countdown, it was less than 1,000 days away. There was something very scary about it going down to triple digits. On October 30th Eve decided she needed one day off before heading back to school. Her friends from the mosque probably assumed she was still at Ravenwood. Instead Eve went to the movies. She ran into Amy at the theatre and they decided to see one together. It seemed that even the pre-movie cartoons were dark these days. This one involved a bird whose husband left her. She tried to get the cat to eat her because of this. The movie itself was about a couple of lesbian asssins trying to have a baby together. Amy remarked that she wasn't sure if this movie was empowering, or exploitation for horny guys. After this Eve went home and watched old re-runs of Buffy. This show also got darker over time. Spike started odd as the villain, eventually became a hero and Buffy's lover. Willow started as the hero, became the villain at the end of this season. Eve liked how Buffy, after being raised from the dead, had to fight just to want to live. The hardest thing in the world is to live in it. In the end Buffy accepted that the world was pain, but in the end it was worth it. That was a good message to live by. Eve returned to school on Monday October 31st. She barely remembered that it was halloween. Some people bought candy from her today, but noone here wore costumes. Benson gave Eve some pamplets, asked Eve to give them out free with candy purchases. He also encouraged her to read them herself. These pamplets were about accepting Jesus Christ as one's personal savior. Eve realized that both their religions frowned upon pagan rituals like halloween. She remembered Febuary 5th, buying the magick rock. Eve decided to hand out Benson's pamplets, it was just distributing information. At lunch time there was an announcement. School was closing early today. The rumor was that there was a shooting in an elemantary school in New York, or Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angelas. Noone seemed certain where it happenned. The scariest rumor was that there were actually multiple shootings. At least four shootings at elemantary school. In one day, most likely a coordinated effort. Eve had to make sure Amy and Nadia were okay. She saw Nadia in the cafeteria, then she called Amy on her cellphone. When Amy said she was okay Eve left school and went straight home. She wasn't sure if she was expected to go to work today. But for now, she just wanted to feel safe in her own home again.


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91

.

On her walk home Eve called her father, let him know she was okay. He told her not to come to work today, just go home and stay safe. When she got home she was alone. Eve almost wished Karen was here. Then Eve realized she didt't know where her step-mother was. She called Karen's cellphone. Karen also said she was safe, would stay with a friend tonight. Eve could actually hear the other boy's voice on the other end. Karen and Zack hadn't even been married three months and she was already cheating on him. Eve turned on the news. She was afraid what it would say, but felt she had to know these things. There had already been seven shootings in elemantary schools today. Many schools were evacuated, it was unclear if there might be more shootings. All these shootings were inspired by the lunatic preacher named Samuel. They wanted to protect these children from being corrupted by an ever-increasingly evil world and send them to Heaven. It was unclear if these attacks were coordinated or not. These killers might have been inspired by halloween. They thought this was based on ancient pagan sacrifices, felt children were more subseptible to Satan on this night. Samuel was still in hiding, posting his sermons on youtube. There might've been more killings today because it was halloween, but others might come later. 993 days until impact. It was becoming less likely that Eve would survive that long. That night Eve was checking her e-mails. One sender she didn't recognize. Despite her parents' warnings Eve opened it. It was a video, one of Samuel's sermons. Apparently recent, the preacher praised the school shootings.

.

Samuel: My friends, I know it is hard to look into an innocent child's eyes and end it's life. But this is ultimately to protect these children. A parishoner once asked me, how could God kill the first-born of Egypt? The alternative would've been to let them grow up in an evil society that practiced slavery and human sacrifice. They would've become corrupted and damned. This was not the cold blooded murder of his enemies, this was protecting innocent children. It is not a coincidence that for thousands of years less civilized and immoral societies sufferred higher instances of infant mortality. Some now compare our actions to those of the nazies or suicide bombers. I do not know what was on the minds of those individuals. If they knew that they were ultimately sending those children to Heaven, God rewarded them. But if they thought they were sending those children to oblivion, or Hell, God punished them. Therefore, I encourage all to spare these innocent children from evil. Send them into God's loving arms and he will reward your struggle.

.

School resumed on Tuesday. Security increased to prevent shootings. The guards checked Eve's bag. Because she had no weapons they let her keep the contraband. Ten school shootings in one day, and the preacher who inspired it was still at large. Eve remembered hearing of a few hootings, even before 2/4. America had experienced school shootings since 1764. But never had this many happenned all at once. There were rumore that president Mason would take certain measuers to prevent future attacks. Heavier monitoring of suspected terrorists, ending all private ownership of fire-arms, blocking the media from supporting Samual's crusade. Eve couldn't understand any journalist supporting a preacher whose goal was the murder of children. Amy feared some of this could lead to the suppression of opposition groups that posed no threat of violence. Eve understood her friend's logic, but over 100 children had been slaughtered in a few hours, all over the country. Having seen some of those children's bodies o the news, Eve was fine with Mason doing whatever he had to do to prevent more tragedies.


	92. Chapter 92

Chapter 92

.

After school on Tuesday Eve went with Nadia to the mercy clinic. She wanted to fight against Samuel's dark influence, protect children if she could. But she feared it would become harder to talk women out of abortion if they feared their child could be murdered by lunatics. Eve also sold her contraband to those that wanted it. She felt guilty about doing it here, but she had to survive too. Mostly muslim customers here, the christian counselors bought from their own. But these protestors got a victory today. Marie, one of the doctors at the clinic, came outside protected by security. There were also some reporters from local tv news stations. Eve wasn't sure why they were here, until Marie began speaking.

.

Marie: Seeing the slaughter of children, it has become clear that Samuel is merely an extreme example of what this clinic has been doing. I can no longer be a part of the murders of unborn children, nor of sending frightened adults to Hell. Therefore I renounce this clinic of death. I vow to dedicate whatever remains of my own mortal life to preserving the lives of others. I do not expect to be forgiven by those that I've wronged, nor do I deserve it. I can only hope and pray that in time, God will forgive my sins.

.

When Marie walked into the crowd some of the protestors began hugging her. Eve was one of them. They had won a few victories before this, some patients changed their minds. But this, convincing one of the doctors to repent, made them believe they could actually win somehow. All their efforts seemed to have been validated.

.

On Wednesday November 2nd Eve had lunch with Nadia and Amy. Nadia was still happy about Marie repenting.

.

Nadia: It was amazing, we got through to her. I wasn't sure that was even possible.

Amy: But women who want abortions, people who want to die, they'll find someone else to help them.

Nadia: True, but Marie has chosen to no longer be a part of that. That's a victory for her.

Amy: Exactly what's worse, suicide or abortion?

Nadia: Both are grave sins. But if I have to choose one, suicide. At that point, it's impossible for the soul to repent. With abortion, the individual can at least repent later and try to earn Allah's forgiveness.

Amy: I would've thought abortion was worse. Suicide is at least the individual's choice. Bu if you believe a fetus is a human life, than abortion is taking a life against the individual's wish.

Nadia: Samuel is evil, but he is right about one thing. The innocent's killed do go to Heaven. But those who murder children will fave Allah's judgement, regardless of the cause they fought for.

Amy: What do you think of some of Mason's ideas?

Nadia: I like them. I don't agree with other actions but he's doing what he has to do to protect children from lunatics.

Amy: Really? It wasn't so long ago that big government was persecuting your people.

Nadia: Do not lecture me about my people. The problem was never big government. Ten days after 9/11 Bush declared that islam was a nole religion and that American muslims were patriotic citizens. Were mistakes made? Yes. Some people were wrongfully sent to Guantanamo, but even that people were able to protest. There was never mass-imprisonments of muslims and dissidents. Wars were fought against the Taliban, who brutalized women, and Suddam Hussein, who earned the title "Butcher of Bagdad." Maybe Iraq was a strategic mistake, but it wasn't some crusade to wipe out islam. The same time out government did this it provided humanitarian aid to many peoples and pressured Israel to finally allow a free independant Palestine.

Amy: I'm sorry, I shouldn't lecture you about your people. Mason might have the best intentions, dictators usually do, at first. But I don't trust the government with too much power. Right now my group is trying to peacefully change things, through elections. If Mason allows this, we have no problem with him. Otherwise, we'll see what happens.


	93. Chapter 93

Chapter 93

.

On Friday November 4th president Mason gave an address to the American people. Eve was working at Ravenwood, everyone seemed to be watching the news. It had been exactly nine months since Mason told the world about ELE, there were now 989 days until impact.

.

Mason: My fellow Americans, on Monday there were ten school shootings throught this country. 108 children have been killed, another 50 injured, several are still in critical condition and in danger of dying. Earlier today the house of representatives and the senate passed an act to prevent future terrorist attacks. Banning most private ownership of guns, restricting what use of the media that might, inadvertadly, relay information to similar terrorists. I realize that since Febuary 4th, most inmates have been put to use building Arks. Those who pled guilty to theft, rape, even murder, have been building Arks. It was believed they were logical enough to save their own lives, and all of humanity. Others are not as logical. Samuel's followers have the potential to destroy these Arks, possibly destroying humanity's only chance of survival. This act, which I have already signed, allows for the death penalty for anyone over 16, who murders children. This was not an easy decision, but it is one I felt justified by the times. I cannot claim to have controlled events. I confess plainly, events have controlled me. Things changed for the worse on Febuary 4th, they might get worse still. But we will not abandon our humanity, we will not just e slouching towards Bethlehem. We will persevere.

.

Eve was a bit nervous after Mason's speech. Maybe some measures were neccessary to prevent the murder of children. But would it stop there? And the part about executing 16 years olds, Eve was almost 16. She had no desire to murder children, but could she be mistakingly accussed? Most criminal cases were just plea bargains, many were willing to work on the Arks for more chances. Many students at "Armageddon high" had done this work and came back on probation. If they got in trouble they often had to sit with their probation officer, in front of everyone. Actual trials were rare, what exactly were the new procedures for those accussed of murder? Eve hadn't taken Amy's fears about government becoming too powerful very seriously. For now at least, Eve was willing to go along with president George Mason.


	94. Chapter 94

Chapter 94

.

Over the next two weeks Eve saw some mixed reations to president Mason's law. Some believed they were neccessary. Others felt Mason was obtaining too much power. Nadia and Amy both criticized Mason, but usually for different reasons. Amy didn't like gun-control food rationing, prize and wage freezing. However, Amy did approve of Mason being pro-choice on abortion and euthanasia. Nadia felt these things violated God's laws, she was less upset about gun control and rationing. Eve often felt stuck in the middle between her two friends. She just tried to get through each day. School, work, protesting outside the clinic, selling illegal contraband. On Novemer 18th mr Mendez told Eve that Ravenwood was making a promotional video. They wanted to demonstrate the importance of the company's shelters, and show employees the value of dedication to their jobs. Because Eve had demonstrated initiative during the garbage strike, and had been in the government Ark newsreel, Ravenwood wanted to use her for some scenes. Eve agreed to this, perhaps she really was slowly becoming a movie star. On Saturday November 19th a film crew followed Eve for a little while. They filmed her doing secretarial work. The director felt it needed something more, so he asked Eve to collect the trash, like she did during the strike. Eve collected the trash for the cameras. During her lunch the director asked Eve some questions. When asked why she colleted trash herself Eve simply replied "Someone had to." The director asked if Eve agreed with some of Mason's decisions she admitted she didn't agree with everything. She felt it was a bad idea for the government to sieze private shelters. The government had the right to build its own Arks, but individuals also had to right to protect themselves as best they could.


	95. Chapter 95

Chapter 95

.

Thursday Novemer 24th was Thanksgiving. Karen's parents were coming over for dinner. Eve wasn't sure what to make of them. Her father had become muslim since 2/4, her mother a born-again christian. Neither of them seemed to approve of her choices. The freeze between Eve and Karen had begun to thaw recently. She almost felt sorry for Karen, her own parents looking down on her. Karen's father asked if Eve would like to pray with him. Eve politely said she preferred to pray in private, or with other women. Karen's mother remarked "If Thanksgiving means coming to your house, eating your food, leaving a mess, and being ungrateful. Then every day was Thanksgiving with Karen." But Eve also remembered that this was her first Thanksgiving since her mother died. Karen brought this shame upon herself. Still, it was Thanksgiving. However uncomfortable this might've been, they were still family, for better or worse. With 969 days until impact, it was important to have these small moments to try and get along.

.

Although Eve had off from both school and Ravenwood on Thaksgiving weekend she had little downtime. On Friday she attended regular prayer service at her mosque. That night RJ had a special assignment for her. Coah Miller, their gym teacher, sometimes organized small fights between studens. The kids all agreed to this, Miller felt it was a good way to let off some steam. On this Friday night there were four scheduled fights. Other students were invited to come watch. Miller refused to make money off this, RJ wasn't so benevolent. Eve's job was to take bets from anyone who wanted to bet on the fights. Eve would write down who made the bet, who they bet on, and what specifically they wagered with. They could gamble with money, food, shampoo, etc. At the end of the night the winners would collect from RJ. The losers would either pay up, or settle later. Eve knew this was a barbaric ritual, but somehow she got caught up in the excitement. She knew some of these guys, rooted for the ones she liked. RJ was right, they were just providing a service, a way to unwind in difficult times. Noone had to participate, but they should be allowed to do this if they wanted. Just supply and demand economics.


	96. Chapter 96

Chapter 96

.

Amy had long told Eve about the dangers of government becoming too powerful. The Sons of Liberty were endorsing a candidate for congress in next year's election. This could very well be the last congressional eletion in American history. But it seemed important that democracy continue, even in difficult times. Eve decided to see what this candidate had to say for himself. This man, Chris Smith, was handing out pamplets outside the local grocery store, shaking hands, answering questions. Smith seemed charming, not arrogant. His politics were much what Amy said they were. Chris Smith believed more in individual rights more than what Mason considered to be the collective good. This crowd liked when Chris Smith blamed George Mason for not being able to eat what they wanted. His siezing of fire-arms was to prevent the people from being able to defend themselves from the government. The threat from Samuel was real, but Mason was using it as a pretext to squash dissent. One lunatic preacher didn't threaten the entire country, Mason on the other hand. Eve didn't agree with all of what Chris Smith said, but parts of it she liked. Maybe she was being selfish, but Eve wanted to be able to eat and buy what she wanted without it being big government's business. When Chris Smith talked about parasites abusing the system, Eve started thinking about Karen. It seemed Eve did have to work harder this last year, while others were slacking off. Chris Smith didn't specifically condone the "Batman" vigilanties, but he did stress that people had the right to feel safe, and defend themselves when neccessary. She also realized that she did want to protect private shelters, largely because it increased her own chances of survival. On Sunday November 27th Eve went to a movie. It was a comedy about a teenage girl trying to get pregnant to get into an Ark. The plot revolved around trying to figure out who the father was. Eve figured she needed this last day for fun before heading back to work. Over the next three weeks she had many obligations. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays she worked at Ravenwood after school. Tuesdays she went to the clinic as a protestor. Thursdays Eve had off, and studied for the next days' tests. Saturdays, Eve worked longer at Ravenwood. Sundays Eve went to her mosque, but also helped Chris Smith campaign mostly just handing out pamplets. And ofcourse she always sold her contraband to anyone who wanted it. Eve felt herself being torn in numerous directions. Mason, Chris Smith, Ravenwood, and her mosque. She wasn't sure who was right, chances were they were all partly right, and all partly wrong. For now she was still trying to figure things out. If nothing else she got to see Nadia at the clinic and see Amy at Chris Smith's campaign office. Despite their differences Eve truley enjoyed both Nadia and Amy's comfort.


	97. Chapter 97

Chapter 97

.

Eve's job at Ravenwood involved a lot of "Hurry up and wait." Long periods of boredom, then suddenly having to quickly dictate memos or transfer calls. During her downtime Eve did her homework, read the Koran, or surfed the internet. She sometimes checked out Zoey Allen's blog. This was how she knew that president Mason kept the heat down at the white house to conserve fuel, even wore a sweater to set a good example, or that he sufferred from insomnia. All president's had a lot of stress to deal with, this one more than most. On December 19th Eve was going to Ravenwood. As she walked towards the building she saw a woman jump out a window to her death. This event startled Eve. She called her father, Zack told her tocome into work, try to keep busy. Eve went into work, did what she could. Maybe it was best to keep her mind occupied at moments like this. After work Zack was driving Eve home, they talked about what happenned.

.

Eve: I don't understand, why someone would do that.

Zack: Rumor was she was going to be fired. That meant less chances of her or her family getting into shelters.

Eve: But there are only 944 days until impact. Why commit such a grave sin with such a short time until death?

Zack: Maybe she didn't want to believe she'd go to Hell for it.

Eve: I don't want to believe mom is in Hell. But I also wouldn't risk it with so few days left.

Zack: I could understand why. This woman had a husband and children. She couldn't face them, tell them she'd lost their best chance of surviving.

Eve: So she'd rather risk Hell than face them after that?

Zak: So it would seem. It's not too uncommon. Rumor is that in Japan, when their exeutives are fired like that, they throw themselves on samurai swords.

Eve: I've heard that, it's probably just an urban legend.

Zack: Maybe, but I've seen others at Ravenwood. Everyone's nervous about Mason siexing private shelters. Some keep cyanide capsules, even guns, in their desks.

Eve: They plan to kill themselves if Mason does that? At least the euthanasia laws have a seven day cooling down period.

Zack: I could understand. If I lost the chance to protect you and Karen, I might kill myself.

Eve: Please don't say that dad.

Zack: I love you Eve. I don't want to die. But I might prefer that to letting you down.

.

On the night of December 22nd Eve was watching "It's a wonderful life." Although a muslim Eve still enjoyed certain part of christmas. She missed the decorations, Santas all around. But it seemed people couldn't afford much of this anymore. Eve had gotten gift for her father, Amy, and Even Karen. Nadia said she didn't want one, but appreciated Eve's thought. She was watching this movie on the Trinity Broadcasting network. Normally they were showing Walker or some others talking about the end times or the fight between christianity and islam. Eve didn't like this, but she had to agree about one thing, things were falling apart. Wars were starting all across the globe. Fighting was worst in Sangala. Centuries ago Europe had colonized this country, divided the people into two ethnic groups, Bawa and Askari. Suppossedly the Bawa were more advanced, phsically and intelectually. In reality they were just the ones who collaberated with the Europeans and, not coincidentally, were chosen to run the government. After Europe left the Bawa retained control of the government with an apartheid syste where Askari couldn't hold office or even vote. This led to an on-again, off-again conflict. The two groups made peace to build Arks after Febuary 4th, but fighting resumed recently over the limited space. Fighting wasn't this bad in America, yet there were talks of militias plotting to sieze the Arks, states seceding from the union, private companies taking up arms to keep their shelters. Sexual immorality had increased since Febuary 4th. Eve knew very well that Karen was cheating on her dad, but Zack didn't feel he had the right to judge. After all, he'd cheated on his first wife with Karen. There were fewer instances of teachers and students together since principal Bauer took over. Although there was one teacher who had married a former student, currently pregnant with his child. Eve was grateful to be able to watch an innocent movie about faith and people coming together.


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter 98

.

When Eve became RJ's footsoldier he taught her what to do if the police questioned her. Take the cop to RJ's place to where he would look for his "papers." While they were there RJ would give the police officer gifts, candy, cigars, shampoo. At some point the cop would let RJ slide for the violation. Eve learned how much bribery was about respect, being nice to cops. She should never outright say "Do you like bribes?" On December 23rd Eve was leaving school when officer Murphy approached her. He said they needed to talk about her retail activities. Eve suggested they go see RJ, Murphy said no. They had to go to the police station now. He didn't put handcuffs on Eve, but she was put in the back seat of his car. Eve began to fear this was not going to end well. Officer Murphy seemed to be in his late 40s or early 50s. He also seemed somewhat menacing to Eve. As he walked her to an interrogation room at the station Eve saw a poster. It told cops about earning more money as security guards with private companies. Murphy left Eve and said he'd be right back. Eve waited nervously. Ravenwood was having its annual christmas party tomorrow, but as time ticked away it became less likely that she'd make it there. Eve was scared, she could be in trouble. Police stations were believed to close early these days, what if Murphy forgot about her? She'd heard stories about people being taken, tried and convicted within a day, being executed the next day. Suppossedly they were all murderers of children, but were any wrongfully convicted? If Murphy looked he might find the mass e-mail Samuel sent out on Eve's computer. Eve had never supported the murder of children, but she'd committed other sins. She'd tried to justify RJ's business to herself, that she only did what she had to do in order to survive. But that wasn't entirely true. RJ never forced Eve to stay, the food shortage had ended. Eve chose to stay so she could have a little extra, candy, ciggarettes, shampoo. She'd risked her freedom to satisfy her own selfish desires. Nadia made Eve feel guilty, only because she didn't partake, not accepting Eve's offer of a food gift, even when hungry. Eve wasn't really sure how much time had passed, maybe an hour, maybe more. It felt longer than an hour. It gave Eve the chance to think about her actions. She decided to confess everything, maybe she'd get in trouble, but it could be worse if she lied. Whatever happenned Eve had to be honest, admit her mistakes, hope for forgiveness.


	99. Chapter 99

Chapter 99

.

Murphy came to see Eve after what felt like hours. He brought pizza, soda, and ice cream for Eve.

.

Murphy: Sorry it took so long. Help yourself.

Eve: Thank you.

Murphy: Do you know why you're here?

Eve: Yes. I sell illegal contraband.

Murphy: That's one reason. I've looked at your record. A year ago you'd had no trouble with the law. No problems at school, good grades, you'd never even smoked a ciggarette. And now, according to some, you're involved with two terrorist groups, and you admire the fanatical preacher Samuel.

Eve: What? No. I'm not involved with terrorists. I got one of Samuel's videos sent to me, I opened it without knowing who sent it.

Murphy: Our files aren't 100%. Please, tell me your side of events. Start from Febuary 4th, the day everything changed.

.

Eve told officer Murphy everything, her mother's suicide, cutting class, shoplifting, her own suicide attempt, her black-market activities, even her summer romance with Jessie. Eve also talked about her friendship, with both Nadia and Amy, her conversion to Islam, campaigning for Chris Smith.

.

Murphy: I believe you. You're at the age when you would probably question things. I had a bit of a youthful rebellion too. My parents were conservative christians so ofcourse I said I was a communist who worshipped the devil.

Eve: DO those two things go together?

Murphy: Probably not. You try to talk people out of abortions or suicide, and you campaign for the guy who wants to keep them legal.

Eve: I'm not sure what I believe in sometimes.

Murphy: That's understandale. You also helped build an Ark, sacrificed your summer vacation to save lives. Yet here you got involved in the black market. Participated in this which steals food and medicine from those that need it.

Eve: I'm sorry. At first it was just to make sure I had enough to eat. The truth is I could've left. I chose to put my own desires ahead of others.

Murphy: I'm glad you're honest.

Eve: I've made mistakes, I'll take the consequences.

Murphy: It's good to know the more serious charges are false.

Eve: Who said I was involved with terrorists?

Murphy: Not important, we won't e charging you with that. The black market stuff, that's another matter. But perhaps that can be forgiven. I don't believe you are a terrorist, but there are rumors. Certain elements of your mosque, some of the christians you protest with. Your friend Amy is with the Sons of Liberty. Their platform endorses the idea of states secceeding from the union.

Eve: I don't think any of these people are terrorists.

Murphy: Perhaps you're right. As I said our files aren't perfect. Perhaps, you can keep us informed about their activities. If any of them are plotting something, you can help us save lives.

Eve: What if they aren't planning anything?

Murphy: That would be great. We would know, and we wouldn't have to waste our limited resources investigating them. Don't you want to make up for past mistakes, perhaps even earn more lottery chances?

Eve: Yeah, I want those things.

Murphy: So, are you willing to be my confidential informant?

Eve: Yeah, I'm in.

Murphy: Good. I'll check in on you from time to time. Feel free to call me if you learn anything vital. Here is my phone number. For now, I'll take you home.


	100. Chapter 100

Chapter 100

.

Officer Murphy drove Eve home. It was almost midnight. Eve snuck in, her father and step-mother weren't home. She feared that she'd have to explain her asence from work today. But in the morning they all had breakfast together. Noone mentioned Eve's absence. Zack mentioned the Ravenwood christmas party later that day. Eve was relived he wasn't angry, but then she started to worry, her dad had been absent from her life before. Eve vowed not to fall back into old bad habits, but she wanted her father involved in her life. Eve went with her father and Karen to the party. Despite not being christian Eve still liked these festivities. It was interesting seeing these big executives with their families, actually enjoying themselves. Dole was still in his office. He had no wife or children and was a workaholic. Eve felt sorry for him. 939 days until impact and he wasn't taking any time to enjoy himself. Some of the other secretaries and interns recognized Eve from their promotional movie. They looked her up on IMDB, she actually had a small page here. Eve was suprised, but happy. It said clearly Eve's two movies. All Eve's footage together didn't add up to 15 minutes, but seemed pretty cool to Eve. Eve heard her father introducing Karen to others. She tried to tell herself that Zack wasn't introducing her because these people already knew Eve, but then she remembered Karen worked here too. Eve wasn't sure she heard right, but Zack and Karen were telling others about a baby. Could Karen be pregnant? If she heard right that's exactly what they were telling people. These idiots were telling business aquaintances about this before Zack's daughter, the baby's big sister. Despite her animosity to the mother this baby was Eve's little brother or sister, she wanted to be there for him or her.


	101. Chapter 101

Chapter 101

.

On christmas day Eve and her family exchanged gifts. Zack gave her some books, Eve knew very well that they were all books she already had. Evidently money was tighter than she realized, but pretended not to notice. Karen gave Eve a big plastic cane with M&M's. Eve spent much of the day eating them while watching "It's a wonderful life" on various channels. Somehow it's message of faith and collectivism still comforted Eve. But sitting alone in her room, it all caught up to Eve. In addition to her various other jobs, Eve was now a police informant. This worried Eve. If anyone from her mosque or the Sons of Liberty really were involved in terrorism, what would they do to a snitch? Either way, these people were her friends, could she really inform on them, even to save her life? Eve hoped to find nothing, that they were all innocent. But then Murphy might think she was holding something back, arrest her for selling contraband. RJ might not want to hurt her, but his employers were another matter. There were several dangers surrounding Eve, but she wanted to live. She wanted to protect her little brother or sister. Zack apologized to Eve, he hadn't intended for her to find out this way. They didn't mention that Zack might not be the kid's father. Either way Eve felt an obligation to protect the kid, keep him or her safe. But "safe" was becoming harder and harder. Eve had off from school until January 3rd. She still had her job at Ravenwood, among other things. On Tuesday Eve went to her mosque and acted as sidewalk counselor outside the mercy clinic. Wednesday Eve went to the movies with Amy before her shift at Ravenwood. It was a dark comedy about a 15 year old girl who becomes an assasin and specializes in "romantic" hits. Helping a man and his mistress murder is wife, o helping women murder their abusive husbands. Films made after 2/4 were definitely darker. After the movie Amy told Eve about a meeting tomorrow. Some people would be discussing how best to resist some of Mason's policies. It could be a good opportuity for Eve to do some business, probably hear some good ideas. Eve wondered, exactly what would be discussed in this meeting? Perhaps it would be a good idea to know.


	102. Chapter 102

Chapter 102

.

Before the meeting Eve replenished her inventory from RJ. She didn't say why she needed more, only that she hoped to make extra today. This meeting took place at Chris Smith's house. There were about twenty people that Eve didn't recognize. They bought snacks and other small luxuries from Eve. Some even congragulated Eve, to them she was apparently one of the last examples of free-market capitalism left. Eve liked this, actually getting respect for her work. Others just tolerated this, but looked down on Eve. But these people, they actually liked what she did. This meeting seemed pretty informal, most just vented their frustration over some of Mason's policies. The topic of seccesion came up. Chris Smith urged calm, the best wat to stop Mason was through free democratic elections. With his boyish charm and intelligence Eve felt Smith could easily win a congressional election. They mentioned that Marie, the former abortion doctor, was also running for congress. Perhaps they should unite, create a coalition to oppose George Mason. But Marie and Chris Smith didn't agree on much. The point of the coalition would merely be fighting against Mason, what policies would they enact if they won? Some people were talking about colonel Samuels. Eve didn't know who that was, but some of the angrier voices seemed to think he had the right idea. For her part Eve mostly just sat back and listened. Amy figured Eve was still trying to figure out who was right. By not making any noise Eve was able to observe, almost unnoticed. She was becoming a spy very quickly.

.

As Eve walked home she wondered if she should tell officer Murphy about this meeting. It seemed to have been nothing, just people letting off steam. Then again, she didn't want Murphy thinking she was holding back. When she got back home Eve texted Murphy. "Went to a meeting. Should talk to you about it. Call me." Eve figured it would be at least an hour before Murphy called her back. But within a minute Murphy texted Eve back. "Find a safe place. Call me immediately!" Eve double checked to make sure Karen and her father weren't home. Then she went to her room and called Murphy.

.

Murphy: Is this secure?

Eve: Yeah, I'm alone. Amy brought me to this meeting today. At Chris Smith's house.

Murphy: Anything interesting?

Eve: Mostly they were just angry and vented. I sold the some snacks.

Murphy: So they were just letting off some steam. Anything violent?

Eve: No. They weren't talking about killing the president. But some were talking about states secceding from the union. I don't know their names, but Chris Smith urged calm. And some said that someone named "Colonel Samuels" might have the right idea.

Murphy: I don't know the name, I'll have to look into it. Anything ele?

Eve: No, not that I heard.

Murphy: Thank you Eve, you've been very helpful.

Eve: Thanks, you too.


	103. Chapter 103

Chapter 103

.

Eve had always iked new year's eve. It was a sense of hope, a chance to do things better. But with the countdown standing at 932 days, it was getting harder to look forward to the future. But there was some hope. Eve was about to become a big sister. Karen was more than one month pregnant, so she'd be givin birth in late August. In January Eve was starting new classes, botany, Morse code. These skills might be neccessary in the Ark. Adam had learned Morse code when he was acub scout, it was all he talked about one week. Now, Eve wished she'd paid more attention. There were some things to look forward too. But on December 31st Eve went to bed early. School resumed on Tuesday January 3rd. After their week off students had to adjust to classes again. Still, these were the ones who were willing to stick it out, despite ELE. But there were rumors of how some vented. Punching some random elderly person on the street, breaking into people's homes and stealing little thing, riding on to the outside of a moving subway car. Eve noticed Karen hanging out with other girls from their apparent "pregnancy pact." Their was Karen, Jenny, Mena, and three girls whose names Eve didn't know. All six of them were pregnant, all seemed happy about it. Mena planned to marry her boyfriend with this news. Eve didn't understand them. If the point was to earn more lottery chances, why do it together? Wouldn't the other girls' babies reduce each girl's chances? Eve was glad to have Nadia and Amy. They were strong, helped give her strength. And the three of them hung out a lot more the first week back. They helped each other study, helped each other in other ways. Maybe that's why Jenny and her friends did it together. Fighting together was easier than fighting alone. "Slouching towards Bethlehem" had become a popular expression since 2/4. It seemed to mean that things were getting progressively worse. That seemed to hold in January 2034. Although Pakistan and Israel had worked together building shelters Pakistan was siezing these shelters. It seemed there had been a military coup, general Shariff was in charge now. Shariff's anti-semetic speeches and display of strength appealed to a lot of people in Pakistan. The Israeli were given a choice, stay in the Arks, or return to Israel. About 40% stayed. Pakistan promised to negotiate for these workers' families to come, but they had little to bargain with. Fighting was escalating between Bawa and Askari. Theoretically the Askari could wipe the Bawa out completely, they had enough numbers. Pope Peter II was trying to negotiate a peaceful resolution along with president Mason. Although America had long been an ally of the Bawa government, Mason seemed reluctant to commit U.S. forces. Walker and others claimed that Sangala was merely a small scale version of the epic battle between christianity and islam. The majority of Bawa were christian, majority of Askari were muslim. Both groups had sizeable minorities of the other religion. The fanatical preacher Samuel still hadn't been caught. There hadn't been more large scale killings since halloween. But there had been six school shootings since then, two where teachers murdered their own classes. There were other isolated incidents, some attracted national attention. A professor had been giving lectures promoting atheism, his grandchildren were murdered by Samuel's followers. There had been a reality show about a family of satanists, Eve watched it a couple of times out of curiousity. This family's 16 year old son murdered his one month old sister. Eve didn't understand how, especially in times like these, people who preached atheism or devil-worship. Even if they couldn't accept God's existence, why they had to deprive others of this hope. But that didn't give Samuel's people the right to murder these people's children. Nothing justified the murder of innocents.


	104. Chapter 104

Chapter 104

.

On Saturday January 21st Eve was working at Ravenwood. She also tried checking out Zoey Allen's blog, nothing new since yesterday. The she saw breaking news on the internet. Zoey Allen, the vice-president's daughter, was arrested. While accompanying her mother on a diplomatic mission to Columbia, Zoey allegedly snuck cocaine unto air force two. Not a small amount, enough to have her classified as a drug-dealer. Zoey was already out on bail, and the news networks showed no sign of letting up anytime soon. This scandal actually excited Eve. There were almost no television shows anymore. Most that premiered since 2/4 had been cancelled. The only pre-Febuary 4th show still on the air was "Simpsons." Even that might e ending soon after 45 seasons. There were still new movies. People had the attention span for movies, but not for long-term tv series. Sporting events were televises, often brutal fights with fewer regulations than before. Keeping the public entertained with bread and circuses did pacify the public to a certain degree. But that wouldn't last forever. The anger of the people would likely explode eventually, as the countdown kept getting lower and lower. Until then the empire would collapse as the colliseum got bigger.

.

On Sunday January 22nd Eve was watching a news show. General Douglas, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, was being interviewed. The reporter was asking questions about the situation in Saudi Arabia. The fundamentalists were siezing power, would likely take the capitol of Riyadi within a month. Although the current Saudi government was an ally, Douglas said it was an internal matter. he United States would not get involved. The reporter asked about certain rumors. He didn't bother with the conspiracy theories of Douglas conspiring to assasinate Mason. Even if Douglas didn't like Mason's policies, he likely would've preferred him over Allen. The reporter did ask about Mason's alleged plans to sieze private shelters, end elections, even outlaw certain religions. Douglas said that Mason welcomed help from the private sector, hoped they could help save more lives. Nor did Mason plan to squash dissent. And while they investigated certain groups rumored to be siding with Samuel, they would never ban private religious practices.


	105. Chapter 105

Chapter 105

.

On Tuesday January 24th Eve was in the school's greenhouse. This new class, located on the school's roof, taught students how to grow their own food, and about photosynthesis. With this, they could actually make more oxygen. Suppossedly the Arks would have more advanced methods, but still a good idea to know how to do these things, in case the systems broke down. As the teacher explained this process Eve barely noticed Mena on the roof. A lot of students tried to transfer, especially to these life skill classes. Eve noticed when Mena walked dangerously close to the edge. She tried to tell her teacher, but it was too late. With no hesitation Mena walked right to the edge and jumped to her death. The school was soon talking about Mena's suicide. Teenage suicide was common, almost trendy, since 2/4. But doing it at school, that attracted attention. Eve decided to talk to Karen about it, at lunch. They didn't necessarily get along, but Karen had been Mena's friend. Eve wanted to be there for Karen now

.

Eve: Are you okay?

Karen: I'll e fine.

Eve: I don't understand, I thought you were all happy.

Karen: We were. Mena wanted to marry her boyfriend. But he refused, even though she was pregnant with his kid.

Eve: He is an irresponsile jerk.

Karen: Are you going to start quoting your god, tell me my friend is in Hell?

Eve: I didn't ay that. I do mourn for Mena. I thought maybe you could use a friend.

Karen: I'm sorry. Mena really wanted a family, a husband, a baby. Even with ELE coming we thought we could do it. But motherhood, being responsible for another life. It's scary, and doing it in those shelters, I don't know.

Eve: We can help you. Me, dad, I want to be a big sister.

Karen: I'm not sure I can be a mother.


	106. Chapter 106

Chapter 106

.

After school Eve asked Amy to go to the movies with her. She was suppossed to go to the clinic, but that was becoming more and more discouraging. Their group was getting through to fewer and fewer people, and there was another group there. This new group countered Eve's side, specifically to let the people know that some people of faith condoned their choice. Some of them seemed to have been inspired by Zoey Allen, although Eve's group sometimes disparingly called Zoey "the abortion barbie." With 908 days until impact, life was becoming less sacred. Eve and Amy saw a dark comedy about a kidnapping that somehow resulted in love. Although these lovers robbed a bank, killed her father, there were still a couple of angels trying to make sure they wound up together. After the movie Amy could tell that Eve was still feeling down.

.

Amy: Didn't like the movie?

Eve: Actually, that's one of the lighter movies out these days.

Amy: It was that girl, huh?

Eve: I barely knew her. But yeah, I saw her die. And she was with child, and the baby's dead. And Karen, she's considering having an abortion.

Amy: I'm sorry. Did you want to be a big sister?

Eve: Yes. I already love that child, and there's nothing I can do to save it. What am I going to do?

Amy: First off, don't blame yourself for Karen's choices.

Eve: I have to try, to convince Karen to do the right thing.

Amy: Do what you can, but accept that you might not succeed. Either way, know that I'm here for you.

.

Amy could see her friend was near-tears. To calm her down, Amy did what she'd wanted to do for awhile. She kissed Eve on the lips. Later on Eve thought about the kiss. She had never been attracted to girls before, only boys. Adam, Jack, Jessie, but there was something about Amy. She made Eve feel safe. Eve had thought of the Sons of Liberty as lunatic militia people who probably revered the swastika. But attending these meetings, they seemed like good people. They were ultimately just fighting to survive. These guys, including Amy, made Eve feel protected, certainly more than Zack or Karen. Eve had heard rumors of Amy being gay, but didn't realize she was attracted to Eve. Eve thought about what to tell her friend, how to let her down gently. But all Eve could say outloud was "I need to think about this." Amy said she understood, and Eve walked home, unsure what might come next.


	107. Chapter 107

Chapter 107

.

When officer Murphy asked to see Eve in private on Saturday January 29th, she became worried. She was at work, she agreed to 7pm. For the rest of her shift, Eve was nervous. Noone seemed to notice, most employees were worried about being fired. Eve had kept Murphy informed, but she knew very little. If anyone from Eve's mosque, or the Sons of Liberty, were involved in anything bad, they weren't talking to her about it. Maybe Murphy learned about this from other sources. Maybe he thought Eve was holding back. After work Eve met Murphy near her house. If anyone asked, she planned to say she was out for a walk and just ran into this cop. A part of Eve hoped he wouldn't show up, but he did.

.

Eve: You wanted to see me?

Murphy: Yes, thank you for coming. I wanted to express my gratitude for your help this last month.

Eve: Thanks, I haven't learned much.

Murphy: That is helpful. Identifying which groups are harmless allows us to focus our resources on those who pose a real threat. You should know there's been a change to the lottery procedure. Police officials, even unnofficial employees like yourself, earn more chances. Having been with us for a month, you've earned another chance.

Eve: So, that brings me up to ten.

Murphy: With another chance every month you work for us.

Eve: Thank you, I really do appreciate this.

Murphy: You did your duty, you earned this. By the way, there are rumors that some executives at Ravenwood are helping to fund certain militias. Any word on that?

Eve: Not that I know of. But then they don't tell me everything.

Murphy: Fair enough. Just keep your ears open over there.

.

Wednesday Febuary 1st, 900days until impact. In three days it would mark exactly one year since 2/4. Eve examined her chances of getting into an Ark. She had ten chances in the lottery. And if Jessie was right, she'd helped build an Ark, was a police informant, and was learning special skills. Pretty good odds of getting into one of the government shelters. And if Ravenwood kept it's Arks, Eve had good odds there too. But if ELE came, getting into an Ark would mean someone else would be excluded. Being an informant meant hurting her friends, her fellow muslims, even Amy. Just as her black-market activities kept food from others. Nadia had the strength to resist this, Eve did not. Jessie said that every suicide brought Eve one step closer to the Ark. She didn't want to think of human life so cheaply. But she also couldn't completely expell these thoughts from her mind.


	108. Chapter 108

Chapter 108

.

On Thursday Febuary 2nd Eve studied for her botany test. She decided to take a little break and step outside for a ciggarette. Eve didn't smoke inside partly because Karen was pregnant. But Karen was already outside smoking.

.

Karen: Want one?

Eve: Thanks. You know they're bad for the baby right.

Karen: It doesn't matter anymore. I'm not having this baby.

Eve: You got pregnant on purpose. Now you're getting rid of it because it's, inconvenient?

Karen: This isn't easy, and I don't need your judgement.

Eve: You are talking about my little brother or sister.

Karen: Not neccessarily.

Eve: Well I seem the only one who cares.

Karen: What else should I do?

Eve: Have the baby, put it up for adoption, or let me help.

Karen: This baby will be less than two yearsold when Ele hits. It will die a painful from starvation or freezing. At least this way it won't feel pain.

Eve: You don't know that.

Karen: It will feel less pain at least. And what does your god say about dead children?

Eve: If it dies an innocent, it goes to Heaven. But those who kill children will face Allah's judgement.

Karen: There you go. The baby goes to Heaven, and we both know I'm going to Hell either way.

Eve: Maybe, but there is still hope for your salvation.

Karen: I've made an appoitment for Saturday. I can't do this alone.

Eve: What do you mean?

Karen: I need your help.

Eve: For what?

Karen: Come with me.

Eve: To help you abort my sibling?

Karen: Eve, I know you don't like me, I have't given youa reason to like me. But I need someone.

Eve: Ask dad.

Karen: He's working. He said you could take Saturday off.

Eve: Not for this.

Karen: Please, I need you.

.

Eve looked at her former friend, her step-mother. Karen was scared, in pain, Eve actually felt sympathy. Maybe if Eve went with her she could talk Karen out of this. And if she couldn't, Karen shouldn't go through this alone.

.

On Friday Febuary 3rd Amy asked Eve if she was free this weekend. Eve said she had something to do on Saturday, but was free on Sunday. They should probably talk about the kiss. Eve took her tests, went to Ravenwood, dreaded the next day. At work Eve watched tv while waiting. President Mason was giving his annual state of the union address tomorrow, exactly one year since his other announcement. Today they were talking about the Zoey Allen scandal. With few tv shows on they filled airtime with this, and brutal exhibition fights. They were like those organized by coach Miller. But these guys were professionals, much less likely to tap out or tap the other guy. This world was becoming more brutal, no wonder Karen didn't want her baby to see this accursed world.


	109. Chapter 109

Chapter 109

.

Saturday Febuary 4th marked exactly one year since president Mason revealed the news that changed the world forever. Perhaps it was fitting to do this on the one year mark. Before they left Eve saw Karen praying. It was the first time she ever saw her praying. Karen was asking God's forgiveness, but also for the strength to do this. She asked God to accept her baby into his loving arms. This clinic terrified Eve. However unlikely it was that they'd euthanize Eve by mistake, the thought was on her mind. She wished they were at least doing this in one of the conservative states. There, people wanting euthanasia were hooked up to a machine and used a computer screen. Each stage asked the patient "Are you aware that if you go to the last stage and press 'Yes' you will be given a lethal injection and die?" The patient could turn back at any time, although there were rumors of the machines injecting the patient prematurely. Eve and Karen chose a clinic that Eve hadn't protested outside,but she still recognized a few of these people from her mosque, including Yusef. She was worried what they must think of her now, Yusef was probably disgusted. Eve wa also worried about what Allah's judgement for this might be. As they walked inside Eve asked Karen one last time if she was sure about this, Karen said she was. Eve waited in the lobby as they escorted Karen into the room. Eve knew it was too late, she had failed her little sibling. After the procedure Karen was brought to a bed to recover physically. Eve sat next to Karen. They said nothing, but Eve's presence helped Karen. Eve knew that her little sibling was in Heaven now, forever safe from the horrors of this world. Eve and Karen however, remained trapped in this world, possibly awaiting something in the next world.


	110. Chapter 110

Chapter 110

.

Eve sat in her room, waiting for the president's state of the union address. She'd offerred to stay with Karen, but Karen wanted to be alone. Zack wasn't back from work yet, he couldn't even comfort his wife now. Eve dreaded Mason's speech, but how could he top last year? Last year Mason told them things which changed the world forever. Eve thought about this last year, losing her mother, Cujo, Adam. She'd done stupid things before becoming muslim. Even after she'd lost her virginity, helped Karen abort her little sibling. Maybe others handled things better than Eve, some handled this worse. At 9pm the speech began, marking exactly one year since things changed. What happenned next was anyone's guess.

.

Mason: My fellow Americans, we have faced much this last year. We were dealt a great challenge, and we have faced it. Millions came together, putting side ol differences and building Arks, capable of insuring the survival of the human race. These Arks, now almost complete, will sustain six million lives. Ofcourse, that number is less than 2% of this country's total population. Every measure to prevent the asteroid from hitting Earth is being examined. This country has endured much tragedy. Building the Arks required painful cuts to social security, healthcare, food stamps, education. Teen suicide has become almost trendy. Many women, fearing bringing a child into this new world, terminated their pregnancies. Many elderly, fearing becoming a burden to family, or feeling left out in the cold, have chosen to be euthanized. As a lifelong catholic, I mourn abortions and suicides. But as president, I feel they should be legal, to ensure they are painless and safe. Worse are the followers of the fanatical preacher Samuel, purposefully murdering children. A kindergarden teacher who shot her own class. Six year olds are bringing guns to school. We can fight these things, but we must work together. If you see something suspicious, report it to proper authorities. Do not take matters into your own hands. We can insure the survival of our species, but only if everyone does their part. As we look at this world, we can take some pride. We are not at war, like Israel and Pakistan. We are not attempting genocide, as in Sangala. There are a few radicals talking about seccession. A tiny faction, to whom Ron Samuels has become a symbol. But they do not have the support of the people. They are a threat, in that they may resort to terrorist attacks against innocents. We have much to accomplish, but we will do it. We will survive the asteroid together.


	111. Chapter 111

Chapter 111

.

On Sunday Febuary 5th Eve and Amy were walking in the woods.

.

Eve: So, why did you want to meet here?

Amy: I have a suprise to show you. Are you okay, with Karen's choice?

Eve: I don't know. I do take comfort in the fact that my little brother or sister is in Heaven.

Amy: I like to think so too. I'm no expert on God but yeah, I prefer to think children automatically go to Heaven. So, should we talk about the kiss?

Eve: Yeah. I've never really thought of myself as gay. I was attracted to Jack, Adam, Jessie.

Amy: I get it. This is where you tell me that you love me, but only as a friend.

Eve: No. Ths is where I say "I don't know." That kiss was nice, made me feel safe. How did you know you were gay?

Amy: I've always known I was a little different. When I was around girls, I wanted to kiss them, not boys.

Eve: How did you know it was attraction? I felt things for boys, and assumed it was attraction. Until you kissed me, I never felt it for girls. How exactly do I know what I am?

Amy: I can't answer that for you, only you can.

Eve: I can't promise you anything, except to always be your friend. Can you promise the same?

Amy: I can, and that I wil never leave you.

.

Amy and Eve continued their walk. When they reached the fence Amy said they'd arrived. She put down her backpack and opened it. Eve saw inside Amy's bag, and Amy got it out. Eve was shocked when Amy pulled out a gun. When Eve saw Amy's gun her initial instinct was to back away, although she tripped on a twig. Eve barely noticed that Amy kept the gun pointed at the ground.

.

Eve: Why did you bring a gun?

Amy: Not to hurt you. This is a shooting range. Away from civilians, me and some friends shoot cans for practice.

Eve: So,you wanted to impress me?

Amy: I want to show you how to use it

Eve: I'm not good with guns.

Amy: That's why I Want to teach you. Things are getting scary, I want to know you can protect yourself. That's all I want.

Eve: I don't know which side I'm on, yours or the president's.

Amy: I know. But you should be safe, no matter what you choose.

Eve: Okay, thank you.

Amy: First rule, always treat a gun like it's loaded, even when it's not.

Eve: Should I keep it pointed at the ground like you are?

Amy: Absolutely. If you have to fire a warning shot, fire at the ground, not in the air. The law of gravity applies to bullets. If you acquire a gun of your own keep it locked at home, away from children. Never fire in public unless absolutely neccessary. What are the rules?

Eve: Always treat a gun as if it's loaded. Don't point it at anyone or fire in public unless neccessary. Keep it locked up, if I do fire a warning shot, fire into the ground.

Amy: Very good. Now, let's work on how to properly load it.

.

Amy taught Eve how to shoot a gun. Although Eve wasn't a quick learner, she was hitting cans by the end of the day. The girls also talked about the possibility of Amy teaching Eve how to hunt. If society really was on the verge of breaking down, hunting animals would indeed become a useful skill. Eve was unsure if she wanted to tell officer Murphy about this. This was illegal, Eve didn't want Murphy to think she was holding back. But she also didn't want to get Amy in trouble. Colonel Samuels was in the news. Samuels was leader of a militia in Montana. This militia owned Ravenwood shelters, planned to survive ELL in them. Samues was believed to be stock-piling assault weapons to prevent them from being siezed by the state. Rumor was Mason would use this as a pretext to actually sieze these and other shelters. A crackdown seemed likely, and Eve still wasn't sure which side she was on.


	112. Chapter 112

Chapter 112

.

When Eve returned to school on Monday she avoided those from her mosque, even Nadia. They likely knew what she'd done with Karen, feared they were judging her. But she knew it was likely her own guilt. As she left school and went to Ravenwood, Yusef approached her. Eve believed Yusef might have a crush on her, but it was unrequited. He seemed a bit intense at times, she wondered what he wanted.

.

Yusef: I wanted to make sure you were okay.

Eve: Yeah, I'm fine, all things considered.

Yusef; I'm sorry about your sibling.

Eve: Thanks. At least his or her pain is over now.

Yusef; That was very brave of you.

Eve: You really think so?

Yusef: Absolutely. To go into that factory of death, to try to persuade her not to have an abortion. More courage than I have.

Eve: I couldn't stop her.

Yusef: We often can't. But I'd be too scared to go inside. Some stage sit-ins, temporarily shut the clinics down, but I was worried they's euthanize me by mistake.

Eve: Honestly, I've never been so scared.

Yusef: I don't blame you. But they trust you in there, right?

Eve: I guess. Why?

Yusef: You're knowledge of that place could help. Maybe we can put an end to that evil place once and for all.

Eve: If you're talking about what I think you are, I don't want any part of it. And if you're involved in anything illegal, I don't need to know about it.

Yusef: Fair enough, my friend and sister in islam.

.

Eve felt torn about Yusef. He might be involved in a plot to blow up one of the mercy clinics. Eve knew nothing specific, maybe it was just big talk. She didn't want to get Yusef in trouble, but if he did it, and Eve could've stopped him. Eve did fear she wouldn't be useful to officer Murphy anymore. Eve thought about this for hours at work. Finally she went to the restroom and texted what she knew to Murphy's cellphone. Eve still wasn't sure she'd done the right thing, but for better or worse it was done. After she did this Eve tried not to think about it. She worked, studied for school, read the Koran. When she returned to school on Tuesday she looked for Yusef. Eve worried Yusef would somehow know she informed on him, might retaliate. Eve also hoped Yusef was okay, that he hadn't been arrested. Sure enough Yusef was at school. He seemed to avoid perhaps angry that she hadn't agreed to help him. Eve went to her mosque after school. Despite what she'd done with Karen Eve still found this place comforting. She also wanted them to know she was still their sister in islam. On Wednesday Yusef wasn't at school. Eve hoped he was just taking a sick day. But Nadia told Eve the rumor she'd heard. They said that Yusef was involved in something, possibly a plot to blow up a building. The cops raided a house, two people had been killed. Yusef was missing. Eve feared she was partly responsible for this, and she wasn't sure how she should feel about it. On the one hand, she'd helped prevent a terrorist plot to blow up a building. Innocent bystanders could've been killed. Maybe Eve helped save lives. On the other hand, Eve betrayed her fellow muslims to protect evildoers and a factory of death. Eve knew she was good with man's law on this one. Whether she was good with Allah, Eve did not know.


	113. Chapter 113

Chapter 113

.

Over the next two weeks Eve watched the news quite a bit. There was seldom any good news, but she wanted to stay informed. The fundamentalists had completed their takeover of Saudi Arabia. They burned churches, stoned people suspected od adultery, were expelling jewish individuals. Israel took these refugees in, drafted them into military service. They needed soldiers for their escalating tensions with Pakistan. Although diplomacy was still being used tensions were high. Both peoples were calling for war, both governments controlled nuclear weapons. Sangala seemed even more violent. One church took in a group of Bawa refugees. When the local radio station heard of this they informed the local Askari militia. They massacred all 600 refugees. The Bawa government retaliated by carpet-bombing an Askari village, killing 3,000. Eve felt torn. A part of her knew the tension was caused by many decades of oppression by the Bawa government. They had practically made it illegal to be muslim. But Eve firmly believed that killing innocents was always wrong, whether done by Bawa or Askari, christian or muslim. But with limited space on their Arks fighting became inevitable. People seemed to find it easier to fight along racial and religious lines. After all this the Zoey Allen scandal actually seemed fun by comparison. It seemed that the charges against her might be dismissed. The main witness against her had died, apparently from a drug-overdose. Some said it was a suicide, that she felt guilty about ratting out her friend. Others believed it was foul play, someone murdered this young woman to protect Zoey Allen. Perhaps a fanatic like Benteen trying to protect the dignity of the oval office. But with a secret service agent trying to murder the president, rumors of the first daughter being involved in that, it seemed like a lost cause. Still, comapred with other news, the Zoey Allen scandal was a good way to keep one's mind off the countdown.

.

When Eve arrived at work on Wednesday Febuary 22nd she noticed some tension in the air. She assumed it was over the tension in Saudi Arabia. Prince Tarik had been beheaded by the theocratic government. Mr Dole and his friend Colby were trying to negotiate with the new government, so far this was proving difficult. But Eve's father Zack soon informed her of other news. Her boss, mr Mendez, had been arrested for the murder of his wife. It seemed he and his mistress murdered her to be together. There was some question as to whether Ravenwood would keep Mendez's secretary, namely Eve, employed here. Zack would try to lobby to get Eve transferred to another department. But for now, Eve should go home for the afternoon.


	114. Chapter 114

Chapter 114

.

Eve called Amy after being sent home on Wednesday. She had little else to do, being around Karen at home was awkward these days, and she wanted to hang out with Amy. The two girls hung out and smoked in the woods.

.

Amy: So your boss really killed his wife?

Eve: That's what they say. As angry as I was with dad and Karen at least they stopped short of murder.

Amy: It's because of ELE. In the old days he probably would've just left his wife, divorced her, married the other girl.

Eve: And then cheated on his second wife.

Amy: Quite possibly. But now, with ELE coming, they didn't want to waste what limited time they had.

Eve: Still not exactly moral, but yeah. ELE has made just about everything worse. 879 days to go.

Amy: Hope you keep your job. But this means you're free this weekend?

Eve: Yeah, why?

Amy: I need to take a road trip. I leave early Saturday, will come back Sunday evening. Want to come?

Eve: Where exactly are we going?

Amy: It's a suprise. Better if you don't know ahead of time.

Eve: Not very comforting.

Amy: I'm making a delivery for the Sons of Liberty. It is illegal,and dangerous. If you don't want to come, I'll understand. But this will helppeople defend themselves, protect their individual rights. The choice has to be yours, just let me know by Friday.

.

Eve thought about Amy's offer. Not long ago, she'd thought her friends were just crazy militia types. But hanging out with them these last two months, they made sense at times. Individuals had the right to build their own shelters, maybe they did have the right to defend these shelters. Colonel Samuels was apparently negotiating with the government. Hopefully theycouldreach an agreement where Mason would provide fuel, livestock, and Samuels would take in other people. But maybe they wouldn't reach an agreement. Thus far Eve hadn't seen anything illegal, mostly angry people venting their frustrations with like-minded individuals. But if she went with Amy, she might see something illegal. Then she'd either have to inform on Amy, or lie to officer Murphy. Either way she'd have to make a choice. She couldn't stay on the sidelines forever. On Thursday Eve told Amy that she was in. .

After Eve agreed to the road trip Amy told her to meet at Amy's house at 8am Saturday. She'd brief her more at that point. Eve was nervous, but excited. She went home, studied for tomorrow's tests, got little sleep. On Friday Eve took her tests, she believed she got at least a B on each of them. After school Eve went to her mosque, and protested outside the clinic briefly. She hoped noone here realized she'd informed on Yusef. If they did, noone said anything. Eve told her father she was staying with Amy this weekend. She still hadn't told Murphy where she was going. Later she could say she was worried about being watched and just had to bide her time before telling him. At the very least Eve wanted to know more about Amy's group before turning them in.


	115. Chapter 115

Chapter 115

.

Eve woke up at 7am on Saturday. She showered, brushed her teeth, and picked up some donuts. Even after her errands Eve still made it in plenty of time to Amy's place. They left shortly before 8am and took turns driving. Amy warned it might take up to ten hours to get where they were going. When it was Eve's turn Amy gave her specific instructions from the navigation system, then Amy took over for awhile. It became clear to Eve why Amy wanted someone to come with her. A ten hour drive would be exhausting, not to mention the boredom of ten hours of being alone. The drive was shorter when Eve and Amy were able to talk. Eve talked about her experiences working on the Ark, Jessie, and how she sometimes felt conflicted between her mosque and the Sons of Liberty. Amy revealed how she'd come from Texas originally. Eve had noticed an accent, but Eve wasn't good with recognizing accents. Amy's grandfather taught her how to shoot when she was nine, how to hunt at twelve. Amy's father had been a construction worker. After 2/4 that business really dried up. Didn't make much sense to spend several thousand dollars on buildings that wouldn't exist more than three years. Amy's family moved to New Jersey, hoping he could work on private shelters. Amy's mother was able to get a part-time job as super-market cashier. Her parents didn't like Amy hanging out with the Sons of Liberty, but she was eighteen, old enough to make her own choices. Amy and Eve stopped at a burger place briefly for lunch. Luckily this place didn't look too closely at their ration cards. Amy warned Eve that the guy they were staying with tonight was a devout christian. He wouldn't mind Eve being a muslim, but they shouldn't talk about Amy being homosexual. They arrived in up-state New York around 5:30. Amy greeted the owner of this house, called him "Ted." As Ted and his kids welcomed the girls into his home, Eve knew there was no going back. When they brought the packages from the trunk into the basement Eve specifically heard Ted tell the kids to stay away from the guns. Now Eve knew for certain what was in the packages, but she'd already suspected. When she got home, Eve would either have to inform officer Murphy, or betray his confidence. The time when Eve would have to make a choice was coming quickly.


	116. Chapter 116

Chapter 116

.

After they brought the packages into the basement Amy and Eve sat down with Ted's family for dinner. They really seemed to appreciate the girls taking such a big risk in defense of freedom. Eve liked these people, that would make it harder to inform on them. Eve tried not to remember their names. Ted had three kids, the youngest only one month old. Eve knew the baby was named Ted Jr, she didn't know the name of Ted's wife or the older kids. Ted and his wife were proud of how they'd had a baby after 2/4. No government would tell them they couldn't have more children. Admittedly this ecame harder. Like most of their co-workers Ted and his wife were reduced to part-time. With jobs becoming more scarce this became common, giving people just enough money to feed themselves, thus preventing riots. Plus people could only buy gas on certain days, usually based on their liscence plates. People were encouraged to conserve fuel by keeping theirhomes colder in winter, warmer in summer. Mason did the same thing for the white house, his wearing sweaters at press conferences did little to quell Ted's frustration. At 8pm this night Ted and his family bega watching a movie on the Trinity Broadcasting Network. This drama made the president, a metaphor for Mason, to be the anti-christ. He manipulated ELE events to sieze power for himself, forcing everyone in the shelters to take his mark, thus damning themselves for eternity. This anti-christ's endgame seemed to be either to defeat God and take his power, or at least deprive him of souls. Nadia and Amy were criticalof Mason, but they didn't claim he was evil for the sake of evil. After the movie Ted's wife prepared sleeping bags for Amy and Eve, apologized for the lack of beds. Despite her inner turmoilEve was exhausted and fell asleep quickly.

.

On Sunday Febuary 26th Amy and Eve woke up tothe smell of cooking eggs and toast. They ate breakfast as Ted read his newspaper and gave his opinions. It seemed unclear if the Israeli workers who stayed in Pakistan were being held against their will as hostages. Ted felt they'd betrayed their country and deserved whatever they got from either side. Another story was about a 13 year old girl suing for her right to die. Currently the minimum age for mercy clinics was eighteen. Sixteen with parental consent. Ted couldn't imagine any parent giving their child permission for this. At any rate the case was going to be heard before the supreme court this week. Euthanasia activist Hailey was supporting this girl. There were more rumors of the plot to murder president Mason. Ted said he could understand Allen wanting to take his place, but it made no sense for general Douglas to plot his murder when he couldn't gain power for himself. Despite who Douglas worked for, Ted seemed to respect the general. After breakfast the family went to church. They invited the girls but Amy and Ee declined and headed back home right away. On the way home Amy and Eve talked. Two nine-hour car rides together in as many days could wear thin on any friendship, but these two tried to make the best of it. This drive was good practice for Eve. She had her learner's permit, not her liscence yet. They talked about the escalating tension between Israel and Pakistan. There was no doubt the Israeli workers had chosen to stay. Now they were either guests or hostages, possily both. Eve tried to follow the euthanasia case. This girl was at a hotel in Washington with her parents and younger siblings. The five of them seemed to be co-habitating well, despite the fact that she was fighting her parents on this. Eve could only imagine how that felt for any of them. This had been Eve's first delivery, the first time was always nerve-racking. Amy didn't seem to find it suspicious that Eve became nervous after the tet message. he text was from Murphy, he wanted to see Eve as soon as possible.


	117. Chapter 117

Chapter 117

.

Eve didn't get home until after 7pm Sunday night. Despite being tired she quickly snuckout and met with officer Murphy. It was dark, she couldn't tell if he was angry with her.

.

Murphy: May I ask where you were?

Eve: Amy asked me on a road trip. I thought I might e watched, I was too worried to call you until I got back.

Murphy: Fair enough. Where did you go?

Eve: New York, to make a deliivery. l don't think Amy knew what was in the package. But this guy, Amy called him "Ted" seemed to believe they were guns. I don't remember the exact address.

Murphy: No matter. I can get a warrent for her car's navigation system. If we showed you pictures would you recognize "Ted?"

Eve: Yeah, I think so. If he's in the picture.

Murphy: Well done. I wanted you to know youearned another lottery chance. I also thought I should tell you, your friend Yusef was killed.

Eve: What? When?

Murphy: This morning he walked into a mercy clinic, forced everyone out at gunpoint. Then he detonated his bomb.

Eve: Oh my God.

Murphy: I'm sorry about your friend. But he made his own choices. His friends posted a tape of him, taking credit for the bombing. He said it was to save others, but there was another fatality. A teen girl, there for an abortion. She was in another room when Yusef went in.

Eve: I don't think Yusef meant to kill others.

Murphy: Possibly, but these things happen when you deliver bombs like this. In his martyrdom video Yusef thanked you for your help.

Eve: What help? I had nothing to do with this.

Murphy: I believe you. Yusef might've figured out you informedon him, or he was angry at your rejection. Either way, he wanted revenge. I'll do what I can to protect you from these allegations. You have my word.

.

Eve went back to school on Monday Febuary 27th. She feared Ted had been arrested, that Amy woud know who informed on them. But Amy seemed in a good mood, with no clue as to what Eve did. Eve was suppossed to return to Ravenwood that afternoon. They cut her hours, now she only worked Mondays and Fridays. This hour-cutting was common these days, even for the relatives of Ravenwood executives. Eve decided to be a sidewalk counselor Tuesdays, help Chris Smith campaign Wednesdays, study on Thursdays. Amy asked Eve if she wanted to go hunting this weekend. Eve had never been hunting before, barely knew how to handle a gun, had briefly considered becoming a vegetarian before 2/4. But with food shortages happenning sporadically across the country, it didn't seem like the worst idea to learn how to catch her own food.


	118. Chapter 118

Chapter 118

.

Over the next week the news seemed bleakindeed. As the supreme court heard the euthanasia case, protestors for both sided were outside. If they ruled in favor of the girl's request the question might become, what is the minimum age for suicide? Before the court could reach a verdict, a protestor shot and killed this 13 year old girl. The prime minister of Israel said that Pakistan was attempting to wipe out the Jewish race by siezing the Arks. On Thursday March 2nd the FBI attempted to raid a house where Samuel was believed to be hiding out. A gunfight ensued, twoagents and at least one of Samuel's followers were killed. Samuel had at least a dozen armed followers,plus seven children. Samuel threatened to kill all if the FBI tried another raid. Eve was watching the news on Thursday and saw coverage of the standoff. On Friday morning it was still going on. Eve had feared the worst, but at least the children were still alive, for now. On Saturday March 4th Eve again arrived at Amy's house at 9am. They drove into the woods so Amy could teach Eve how to hunt. Eve noticed a couple of rifles and a tent were in the trunk, as well as some food.

.

Eve: So, we're sleeping in the woods tonight?

Amy: That's up to you.

Eve: It might be a good idea to get adjusted to this. As long as you don't expect anything from me.

Amy: No expectations. Now let's go over the rules for dealing with firearms.

Eve: Always treat a gun as if it's loaded. Keep it pointed away from people. Keep guns safe and locked. Only fire warning shots into the ground.

Amy: Warning shots don't often apply to wild animals, but very good.

Eve: So, we brought food though?

Amy: Just peanut butter sandwiches, and ofcourse bottled water. My grandfather used to say that when you hunt, you can only live off what you catch. The only exception to that rule, is peanut butter sandwiches.

Eve: Why are they the exception?

Amy: I think it was because I really liked them as a kid. Realistically, he was just making sure his grandfather didn't starve.

Eve: Cool. So, what do you think of the standoff in Illinois?

Amy: I don't see it ending well.

Eve: What I don't get is, if Samuel really is such a fanatic, why doesn't he kill them all?

Amy: He's a coward. Samuel is like Bin Laden, having others do his killing while he sits back in his safe little house. Why do you think he's kept those kids alive this long, they're human shields.

Eve: You might be right. Hopefully the FBI can negotiate for their release or rescue them.

Amy: God willing.


	119. Chapter 119

Chapter 119

.

Amy and Eve had slim hunting on Saturday. Amy said she and her friens had been hunting here all winter. Aside from making less animals, the survivor adapted quickly to new predators invading their territory. Although they ate only peanut butter sandwiches Amy still gave Eve good advice. Eve learned how to set traps. Bullets after all could soon become a limited resource, a clever hunter could survive much longer if they knew how to set traps for animals. Amy also recommended that Eve wear shoes at least one size too big in winter months. This way she could fill her shoes with papers, stave off frostbite. Also it was a good idea to walk in another's footprints in snow. In the worst situations this helped them avoid landmines, more likely it just meant less snow in their boots. With 869 days until impact it was comforting to know these things. But tonight, the girls would have to share a tent, and this made Eve nervous. Soon she realized that she was being ridiculous. So Amy was attracted to Eve, not like she'd assault her in this tent. In truth, Amy made Eve feel safe. It was a cold night, Eve knew she would have to get used to this. Her house had been colder since Mason's fuel rationing. It was March, this winter was almost over, might as well get used to leeping in the outside cold when it was March. With the cold Eve didn't want to leave her sleeping bag, even to eat or relieve herself. Amy recommended that Eve rub her own stomach rather than her arms. This helped a little. Sleeping in strange places was becoming easier, but Eve was glad Amy was here to protect her. As the night grew colder Eve foun herself moving towards Amy for warmth. Amy was a lady, didn't try anything. Eve was grateful for this. As they woke up on Sunday, Eve kissed Amy on the lips. The girls had slightly etter hunting on Sunday morning. They saw some birds. Eve tried to shoot one but was able to shoot one. She then taught Eve how to clean an animal before eating it. Eve wasn't used to killing animals, she still hoped Cujo would return. This was just one of many things Eve would have to get used to in order to survive. As they ate lunch, they talked.

.

Eve: So, about the kiss.

Amy: You kissed me this time. Maybe you were just curious, wanted to see what it felt like.

Eve: I rememer what it felt like when you kissed me. Today, I wanted to kiss you. It felt weird, you know about Adam and Jessie.

Amy: It's not like I never dated boys, never tried to tell myself I wasn't gay. Experimentation gets a bad rap. How was I suppossed to know for certain unless I tried kissing a girl?

Eve: I'm not sure what I am. Gay, straight, bisexual. I just know I really like you.

Amy: Enough to be my girlfriend, in public?

Eve: Yeah. I can't promise our relationship wil ever move beyond kissing. But I want people to know that I love you.

Amy: Even your friends from the mosque?

Eve: Yes. I'm not sure many will approve, but I plan to keep attending mosque services.

Amy: Fair warning, I probably won't be going there.

Eve: Understood. So, am I officially your girlfriend now?

Amy: Yeah, and I'm your girIfriend.


	120. Chapter 120

Chapter 120

.

Eve returned home Sunday afternoon. Karen was there, watching coverage of the standoff. The FBI had brought in a biblical scholar, expert on end times prophecies, to try and talk to Samuel. Samuel had killed one of his own followers, whom he believed to be an undercover agent, yet he had released a scavenger. A number of people were here, hoping to find souveneirs after the likely bloodbath. One of these parasites went near Samuel's house, they pulled him in, then let him go after an hour, with multiple bruises. Samuel's apparent reason was he didn't want to kill a sinner, thus sending him to Hell. But this "preacher" had no problem killing FBI agents. If they died trying to protect children, they'd get into Heaven. Samuel's reasoning for staying alive so far was God allegedly wanted him to preach his message before he died. His group had been posting videos on Youtube these last three days. Others felt they were cowards, unwilling to die themselves despite their bluster. Unclear motives were common these days. The Israeli workers in Pakistan had issued a statement. They said they were ensuring the survival of their race. By staying in Pakistan at least some jews would survive ELE, even with general Shariff, the unnofficial ruler of Pakistan siezing these shelters. The man who killed the 13 year old girl outside the supreme court. He'd confessed, pled guilty, and been executed. He accepted responsibility, but refused to explain his reasons. Some said he was a follower of Samuel, killed her to prevent her suicide. Others felt he was radical pro-life, prevented the court from ruling in favor of her suicide. Some believed he was a right to die person wanted to make sure she got the death that she desired. On Sunday afternoon Samuel issued a statement. In 24 hours he would kill everyone in the area. If the FBI agents, or local civilians, valued their lives, or feared for their eternal souls, they should leave now, and get as far away as possible.

.

When Eve woke up on Monday March 6th she was worried about two things. The first was personal, how people would look at her when they saw she was dating Amy. The second was over the standoff in Illinois. Eve turned on her tv, it was over. The FBI raided this place, Samuel was dead. His remaining followers were either dead or in custody. Two of the children were dead, the other five were recieving medical attention. The news networks either didn't know, or weren't saying, how serious their conditions were. While Eve grieved for those killed, she was glad it was over. She had feared it would be much worse. By the time Eve got to school there was increased security. It wasn't unusual, sometimes they brought in more guards over alleged threats, or just to train new guards. What Eve didn't expect was people with shocked looks on their faces. What exactly had happenned? Amy found Eve and kissed her, relieved that her new girlfriend was okay.

.

Amy: I am so glad to see you're okay.

Eve: You too. What's going on?

Amy: After the raid in Illinois, one of Samuel's followers detonated a bomb.

Eve: Here?

Amy: No, over there. At least I hope there was no bomb in New Jersey. But the one in Illinois, was nuclear.

.

Eve wasn't sure she heard this rights, a nuclear bomb. But the look on Amy's face, on everyone' face, told her it was true. A nuclear bomb had been detonated in an American town. Thousands were believed to have been killed, more would die later from the radioactive fallout. And the worst part was, noone was sure more, even deadlier attacks, were coming.


	121. Chapter 121

Chapter 121

.

Eve called her father, let him know she was okay. She also looked around to make sure Nadia was here, she was. It seemed unbelievable that school was remaining open today. Granted it had happenned in another time zone, and they were learning important skills. Eve tried to learn what she could throught the day. Rumors were it was a suit-case nuke, created by the Soviet Union. After it's collapse forty years ago a lot of the U.S.S.R.s weapons ended up on the black market. One had apparently ended up in Samuel's hands. Local towns were being evacuated. Rain was coming within a few hours. That would clear the radiation out of the air, and send it right down on those towns. President Mason would be speaking tonight. Hopefully more would be revealed then. Only one way for Eve to find out, she would watch the president's address. Just about everyone at Ravenwood ended up watching this address. Even those who didn't like him wanted to know what he was planning.

.

Mason: My fellow Americans, we have been dealt a harsh blow today. Terrorists have committed the single worst attrocity against the American people. More than 6,000 men, women, and children were murdered in less than one second. Emergency responders are doing what they can to treat radiation poisoning. But it seems likely that at least another thousand people will die from radiation poisoning. I failed you, and I am sorry. I can only promise that everything that can be done to prevent future attacks will be done. No longer will we give the benefit of the doubt to those who wish to harm the innocent. Those who try to hurt civilians, or seek the overthrow of the government, they will be dealt with. But we cannot do this alone. In many ways you, the people, are still our best line of defense against these terrorists. Please, if you see something, say something. Anything suspicious, tell law enforcement. Do not take the law into your own hands but make sure the police have the neccessary information. Only by everyone coming together can we ensure the survival of our nation.


	122. Chapter 122

Chapter 122

.

Eve watched the president's speech with mixed emotions. Ofcourse she wanted to do what she could to stop this from happening again, to help those already hurt by this tragedy. On the other hand, Eve feared a government crackdown. The Sons of Liberty didn't condone attacks against civilians, but they might be in trouble now. These people were Eve's friends, particularly Amy. Starting a new relatonship, coming out as a lesbian, seemed irrelevant when there was a mushroom cloud withing eyesight of Chicago. But even with this Eve really didn't want to inform on Amy. When Mason came towards the end of his speech he acknowledged that much of the last year's turmoil was because of the sense of fear and hopelessness that was caused by the asteroid. But that might soon change. NASA had developed a new type of warhead missle with a new type of drill. Eve didn't understand the science of it all, but it seemed this might actually prevent ELE from hitting Earth. They were launching this in June. If it were successful, humanity would be saved. Eve felt great joy at this news. She said "Allah ackbar" repeatedly. Others at Ravenwood were also thanking God in other ways. For the first time in a long while, it seemed that humanity might survive.


	123. Chapter 123

Chapter 123

.

When Eve returned to school on Tuesday March 7th she had a mix of both joy and sorrow. Many had this same unfamiliar feeling. Many had died yesterday, but many more would live now. Jenny seemed particularly excited. Being almost five months pregnant she could bring her child into a new world now. But so much had been lost in the last year. Other women now regretted terminating their pregnancies. Eve thought about what she could've had. She and Adam could've been a great couple, if he hadn't lost his temper. Her mother would still be alive, if only she'd had the strength to endure. Eve couldn't get them back, she could only endure, and try to move one. After school on Tuesday Eve went with Nadia to the mercy clinic. Lately this had become discouraging. With so many elderly cut off from social security they went to the linics in despair. Suicide had become trendy for teens. A suprising number of parents gave their minor children permission. But after Mason's address there was a new sense of hope. Noone came to the clinic today, save for protestors and staff. Eve took off early, told Nadia she had to get home for dinner. In truth, Murphy had sent Eve a text, they needed to talk. When Eve got home, alone, she called Murphy. She was hoping that he would tell her she wasn't needed anymore, with ELE being stopped.

.

Eve: Hello sir, looks like we made it.

Murphy: Looks like. Thank you for all you've done.

Eve: Happy to help.

Murphy: Good. I hope you'll continue to keep me informed, on important things.

Eve: Is that neccessary? I kind of thought we were done.

Murphy: Hopefully these radical groups will calm down now. The only way we can really know for certain is help from goodcitizens like yourself.

Eve: I don't want to get anyone in trouble.

Murphy: I realie this isn't easy for you. You consider some of these people your friends.

Eve: Particularly Amy. She and I, we're a couple now.

Murphy: Oh. I didn't realize you were gay.

Eve: Neither did I, until her.

Murphy: I wish you the best, I don't neccessarily approve of your little hunting trip.

Eve: How did you know about that?

Murphy: Not important. The fact that you withheld this is.

Eve: I'm sorry.

Murphy: Hopefully their more radical elements will die down. Hopefully Mason will let up soon. But there will always be extremists. We will always need help from people like you Eve.


	124. Chapter 124

Chapter 124

.

After school on Wednesday Amy and Eve were walking towards Chris Smith's place. Both were excited about the possibility that ELE might actually be stopped. But this also left Eve somewhat confused about what they should do.

.

Eve: So, should we still help him campaign?

Amy: Well, I am. I still believe in freedom. Mason's still planning to take certain drastic measures.

Eve: It's just, he'll probably let up. People will calm down after ELE is stopped.

Amy: In my experience, dictators don't give up power. There's almost always a legitimate emergency, they claim they need temporary authority. Mason probably believes he's doing what's best for the people. But I prefer Chris Smith in congress to help curb his power. The Sons of Liberty would never attack civilians.

Eve: What if we lose the election?

Amy: Then the people have spoken. They'll have chosen temporary security over liberty. You've helped us, but a crackdown is coming. If you don't want any part of the group I'll understand.

Eve: So, if I leave, the Son of Liberty, you, won't be mad?

Amy: Never. I just hope you still want to be my girlfriend.

Eve: Absolutely. You're one of the few good things that's happenned to me in the last year.

Amy: Good, just checking.

.

Over the next few weeks Eve noticed some developments. Although ELE would apparently be stopped the government was trying to buy private shelters. Supposedly it was just a precaution against future threats. Most people at Ravenwood believed Dole would sell their shelters now, it was really just a question of numbers. With the danger gone tensions around the globe died down. Some of the Israeli workers in Pakistan returned to Israel. Others decided to immigrate to America. Perhaps they were too ashamed to return home. Even in Sangala there was a cease-fire, negotiated in part by pope Peter II. Ofcourse fighting could start again. But for now at least, there was peace. The mandaory food rationing would likely end soon, but fr now it was still in effect. There were certain books, DVD's, that had become hard to get lately. Mostly things on Nostradamas, end times predictions. They were considered too dangerous for the average person to handle. Eve understood that these things might've helped motivate Samuel and his followers. But she didn't believe they should be banned. Mason hadn't blamed these things outright, but those who had these materials were suspect. RJ asked Eve to be one of his retailers to sell these books and DVD's to interested parties, she agreed.


	125. Chapter 125

Chapter 125

.

In light of Samuel's followers detonating a suitcase nuke, president Mason announcing they'd found a way to stop ELE, Eve knew her relationship with Amy seemed small in comparison. But it matterred to them. Eve had lost much, her mother, Cujo, Adam, in some ways her father. But she'd gained Amy and Nadia. Despite their differneces, and Nadia not seeming to approve of Eve's relationship with Amy, Eve still needed both of them. Both had helped her through the darkest point in human history. Eve and Nadia went to the movies one Saturday night, it involved teenage girls robbing a bank for some reason. Eve wanted to take Amy to a Phillies game when the season started. They sometimes went hunting on weekends. It might have seemed cliche, two lesbians with guns, but Amy thought of it as wanting to share a fun experience with the girl she loved. Amy noticed Eve coming to Chris Smith's place less. She thought Eve's interest in politics was waning. She didn't realize that Eve didn't want to know everything. Some of the people who bought doomsday DVDs from Eve asked her opinion. Eve had seen some specials shortly after 2/4, but wasn't too familiar with them,so she started watching these things. They seemed to differ from each other about exactly when the world would end. One from the 1990's said that Suddam Hussein was the antichrist who would commit a major attack against America. That didn't happen, but it was a little eerie how they brought up the posibility of an attack against New York city, even mentioning the world trade center, years before 9/11. A lot of these "documentaries" mentioned Nostradamas. This Nostradamas guy was believed to have predicted every major event since the 15th century. The problem was his predictions, in his quatrains, were so vague it seemed people just interpreted them as they saw fit. During world war II nazi propoganda minister Goebbels tried to demoralize French resistance fighters with leaflets saying that Nostradamas predicted German victory. Churchill hired his own people to say that Nostradmas predicted the allies would win. In some predictions he apparently predicted a great religious revival that would hurt the Roman catholic church. In others he said that more people woud convert to catholicism before the end. Some of Nostradamas' followers said he intentionally predicted false things that would lead to Hitler's defeat. And that he told church leaders that they would win over everyone so that the Inquizition would look the other way on some things. In the 1990's many of his supporters believed Suddam was the antichrist, by 2004 they said he had predicted the disastorous Iraq war. Nostradamas apparently predicted Septemer 11th 2001, but got the dates wrong and predicted it for July 1999. People had feared he predicted George W. Bush would be assasinated, which never happenned. Nostradamas allegedly predicted Barack Obama would be a great peacemaker, but people only figured that out after the Jerusalem accords finally ended the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. One thing was certain, Nostradamas had been a renowned healer during the bubonic plague, methods like frequent bathing were centuries ahead of their time. It seemed a shame to Eve that this doctor had become known for occult nonsense, when he helped save many lives. These specials and books evolved over time to adapt to new threats. The Y2K threat, the planets alligning on May 5th 2000, one idiot preacher predicting the rapture twice in 2011, and the Mayan prediction sying the world would end on December 21st 2012. But the current doomsayers had something the others never did, ELE.


End file.
